Children of Light
by MoonGoddessShadow
Summary: As summer ends, the destinies of the Mystic Force will begin play out in ways they never imagined possible. War and danger loom closer every day, and the truth is becoming harder and harder to hide. Sequel to Child of Darkness. NickMadison.
1. Petrified, Part I

_A/N_ - Here it is. I hope you have as much fun reading it as much as I did writing it! Updated 8/17/13.

* * *

Only a week had passed since they'd rescued Nick and Vida and dealt a harsh blow to the Underworld, but it felt like so much longer. It had been a perfect week - no school yet, gorgeous weather and no attacks whatsoever. That in itself was a small miracle, but understandable. Losing the Master, Koragg and Necrolai in one fell swoop wasn't something they could recover from so quickly. Morticon was still out there, of course, along with his armies of Hidiacs and Styxoids, not to mention Leelee. Nick didn't believe that she was truly evil, and the others were beginning to doubt it, some more than others, after what he'd told them. Convincing as his arguments were, seeing was the best form of believing in this case.

A little thing like that wasn't about to ruin their last days of summer though. School started in a couple days, but no one could tell by how they acted. Since their victory, it seemed like a dark cloud had been lifted from their group. Xander was a flirting machine, hitting on every girl that came into the store. Well, all except Gracey. She'd visited Nick at work a few times and, having heard about Xander's lingering visual excursions, tried his best to make his friend feel awkward and uncomfortable whenever she showed up now.

Aside from that bit of fun, Xander had easily fallen back into their odd state of normalcy alongside the others. Chip had been bouncing off the walls, more exuberant than ever despite letting his harsh and calculating side show in the Underworld. Though he made no attempts to deny it, they still took a backseat to his usual personality. Serious attitudes only emerged in serious situations for Chip. Life was too short for anything else.

Vida gladly fell back into her regularity. Her turntables had been working almost nonstop for the past seven days, and her music seemed to carry more energy now than it had in weeks. For the most part, it was because the team was whole again and her sister no longer having a reason to be on the verge of thinly veiled self-destruction. Of course, not being the unwilling servant of the Queen of the Vampires helped.

Nick, though, had to be the happiest that everything was normal again. He'd been constantly busy working the hours he'd picked up for Vida, Chip and Xander for the first few days, but Toby had finally told him to go back to his regular hours and wouldn't take no for an answer when he saw how exhausted the young man was. That left him more free time, but most of it was devoted to hanging out, being with Madison and getting acquainted to his new family.

They fit together surprisingly well as a family, considering he'd known Udonna for a few months and Leanbow had been Koragg since they'd first fought. Over the past week, they'd spent a lot of time together getting used to how things were know, with both Nick and Leanbow in their rightful places once again. Udonna had wasted no time in helping both settle in, finally removing the untouched baby furniture from the room that had been Nick's for only a few months all those years ago. She even let him decorate it as he pleased, a secondary home should he ever need it. The transition for Leanbow was a bit more difficult, as he'd never been in a completed Root Core, but he was managing. He had only a vague knowledge of the layout, having helped design it before the war.

Aside from that, Leanbow was probably faring the worst out of all of them, though that by no means meant he was doing poorly. He couldn't remember anything he'd done as the Knight Wolf, and they were wary of telling him more than he asked, knowing how much it already plagued him. Though he was generally quite lively and normal around them, sometimes he drew into himself, caught up in the shame and guilt of the actions he couldn't remember but feared the worst of. Sometimes he doubted his patron Ancient, Fortis, even watched over him now, though he hadn't chosen another to be his avatar. It was hard to imagine that even through the score of years he'd been under the influence of a power he'd long abandoned, he still lay under the protection of such a powerful being.

Udonna, on the opposite end of the spectrum, was simply overjoyed to have her family back again. The last time she could remember all three of them being together was the day before the final battle of the Great War. Leanbow marched on the Dark forces the very next day and Udonna followed, leaving Nick behind with her husband's apprentice, Daggeron, and their friend Calindor. They had been tasked with taking her son somewhere the Darkness could not find him, far away if necessary. She knew now how that had turned out, though she still didn't know the fates of Daggeron and Calindor.

Nearly twenty years had passed since then and, even under the power of a memory altering spell, it had been much too long for her. Being with her family again had brought her happiness beyond words and her desire to hold onto them was fiercer than ever. Twenty lost years was more than enough for her.

Since the decisive battle, the Rangers had been more determined than ever to study and practice their magic. Though they'd won the battle, it had been nearly deadly for many of them, and whatever they faced next would not be any easier. They had been especially interested in the Ancients, and Udonna had been glad to give them all the material she could find. There were hundreds of books on each Ancient and their branch of magic, going into greater detail than their mentors could.

All the information they were offered was absorbed quickly, whether it was cold hard facts or the author's speculation and opinion. Some was strange to read. The numerous mentions of the 'Legendary Warrior of Ignos' or the 'Knight Avatar of Levitas' were the oddest to see, though, because they knew it was themselves being written about.

As for Madison, she'd had the easiest time falling back into her old habits, and had been having a fantastic week. She and Nick had been on a handful of dates ranging from the romantic to the weird to make up for the lost time, and, with the whole gang back together, life had been chaos. Their personalities, unrestrained and expressed to their fullest in the heyday that was the last days of summer, created the perfect energy that meant pandemonium for everyone around them and absolute fun for themselves.

The pure ecstasy of the last week was something they didn't want to ever end, but, somewhere in the backs of their minds, they knew it had to. Not only did school start soon, but they knew the darkness wouldn't rest forever. It would be back, but they'd be ready. This war wasn't over yet.

* * *

Fifty-eight... fifty-nine... sixty. Sixty! Vida did the math quickly in her head and proudly laid the money back in the register.

"Ha!" she shouted, raising her fists in victory. "I've outsold you by twelve dollars, o Xander the Great. You owe me lunch."

For a moment, the young man didn't respond, only standing in the corner where he'd been stocking comics, but then she could faintly hear him mutter, "Oh man, oh man, oh man..." She turned to him, a questioning look in her eyes as she rolled them.

"Oh, it's not that bad. Don't be such a drama queen," she quipped. He didn't respond, simply standing frozen in his spot, a hand resting over his nose. Arching a wondering eyebrow and moving out of Chip's way so he could ring up a customer, she approached her friend. "Are you okay?" Still he remained in his spot, lost in whatever was wrong. Serious but becoming fed up, she put a hand on his shoulder and spun him around. This seemed to revive him, as he sprinted to the spot next to Chip, grabbing one of the many decorative guitar-shaped mirrors that were scattered around the store. Finally, she saw what he was freaking out over. She stifled a giggle as he examined every inch of his face with a critical eye.

"Oh man," he uttered again, touching the tip of his nose gingerly. "This can't be real. Nothing this big can be real."

"I'd beg to differ," she joked, but he was too absorbed with himself to notice. He gave his nose a harder prod, yelping a bit as it proved itself very real. "Okay, so maybe it is. And it totally ruins my perfect profile." Vida was grinning ear to ear, but put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Aww, come on," she coaxed, walking up behind him to get a better look at his nose. "It's not that bad." It actually was pretty bad, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

Not looking at her, he replied seriously, "This zit is like having a second nose." She rolled her eyes and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Don't be so melodramatic," she said, a playful gleam developing in her eyes. "C'mon, it just gives you another title, doesn't it? Xander the Great, Big Pimple!" She busted out laughing at her own joke, but he simply ran to the chair designated as his own by a guitar placed on it, took the instrument, and leapt on the DJ platform. Taking a seat against the far wall, nearly hidden by the turntables, he began to tune the instrument. For a moment, Vida watched, amused, then rolled her eyes for the third time in so many minutes and went back to work, ignoring the pathetic heap of Aussie behind her tables.

Nearly an hour later, the small bell above the front door rang, drawing the DJ's attention. She smiled when she saw it wasn't just another customer, and dropped her headphones down around her neck.

"Hey Maddie," she greeted happily. "Where's the boy?" The question was asked with a smirk and playful tone, and was answered with a stuck out tongue.

"We aren't attached at the hip, you know," Maddie added, pulling on her purple work shirt.

"Could've fooled me."

"Oh, ha ha. You're soooo funny."

"I know," Vida replied brightly. The twins shared beaming grins and went to work. Relative quiet enveloped the store, at least vocally, with the regular store mix was playing while Vida worked the floor, but something else caught Maddie. A soft strumming tune floated faintly above the hum of general noise. Giving the room a quick once-over, Madison glanced quizzically to her twin.

"What is that?" Vida looked up from her spot behind the counter, a small smirk on her lips.

"You mean blues boy over there?" she asked, gesturing toward the built-in platform. "He's all depressed over some zit. Hasn't moved for an hour - he just keeps playing that same sad song." Maddie turned to where Vida had indicated and, craning her neck to see around the turntables, saw what she meant.

Xander was leaning against the corner behind the turntables, acoustic guitar in his hands. His eyes were shut and his hands were busy plucking out the notes, but he remained still otherwise. Every so often, his lips would form a few words, but he was only singing in his mind. The tune was slow and sad, a dead giveaway of his mood.

Maddie rolled her eyes and went to work where Xander had left off, putting up new comics on the shelves behind the register. She didn't need to comment on the situation to make obvious how funny and yet strangely normal it was.

With her there to cover more of the work, Chip finished up what he was doing and pulled something out of his work shirt, a torn piece of parchment. At the same time, Toby burst out of his office, something that looked like an artsy, pyramidal lampshade in his hands and an odd set of goggles pushed up into his wild hair.

"I did it!" he exclaimed as Chip quickly hid the paper. "I solved this entire crypto-angular pyramid in just under forty minutes!" He beamed proudly, his employees grinning back.

"Way to go, man," Vida said, putting a CD into a bag for the customer she'd just rang up.

"I'm the greatest puzzle-solver in all of Briarwood," he boasted proudly. "I should work for the FBI, or the CIA or, better yet, the Power Rangers!" They gulped sheepishly, smiles momentarily faltering, and he gave them a meaningful look. "What? Did I say something?"

"Oh, nothing," Chip stuttered, trying to recover what could become a bad situation very quickly. "You should, uh, give them a call." The other two nodded enthusiastically, not liking the look they had been receiving, and his words seemed to do the job. Like an epiphany had just struck him, Toby scrambled back into his office, muttering something about forgetting to call the comic book company.

The trio managed to stifle their giggles until he was gone, and then let loose. Working for Toby was... interesting, to say the least. Without much else to keep them away from working again, they each drifted back to their jobs. Chip pulled out the piece of parchment again and began studying it intensely.

"What are you doing?" Maddie asked, glancing over her shoulder as she moved a crate of new records to the platform for Vida. Not looking up, the youth shook his head.

"Still trying to solve our half of the Fire Heart scroll," he responded. "But I'm not getting too far." He looked up at her sharply, an idea hitting him. "Do you think Nick knows what the other half looks like? He did help steal it from us." For a fraction of a second, Maddie winced, remembering his time in the darkness, but that was gone as all the results it had brought for the light, and for herself, flooded her thoughts. He'd truly embraced the fact that he had a dark side, and it no longer lay rejected and suppressed in his personality. It was in the open, perfectly blended with his light side to create the balance he'd been destined to live with. It was hard to admit, but she really liked how his dark side affected him. It was kind of... sexy.

"I'll see if he knows anything," she responded, eyes already closed. Though her mind no longer remained a magically reinforced fortress, as there was no threat of mental intrusion and sabotage, she tore down the thin walls she kept up as she reached out to Nick.

'_Hey, I have a question,'_ she probed, gently reaching out to his mind with her own. Pausing for a moment, she waited for the mental echo, but received nothing. _'Hello?'_ she ventured again, still getting no answer. What was he doing? There was no chance he was still sleeping - it was almost noon and it wasn't in his nature to sleep the day away. So why wasn't he responding?

Then, from behind her came a pleased, "Hi." Doing a quick one-eighty, she saw Nick standing behind her, a small grin on his face and the fading light of a seal under his feet. "You had a question?" She rolled her eyes at the blatant display on magic, thankful that no customers had noticed, or were surprised if they did see it. Since their appearance as Rangers, an astounding amount of people had admitted to believing in magic, but it wasn't surprising considering how weird the forest could be. Everyone knew the tales of what really went on in there, whether they believed them or not.

"Yeah, I did have a question," she replied. "Did you ever get a good look at the half of the map to the Fire Heart that Leelee got?" She'd barely gotten the question out when he began shaking his head.

"Sorry. I never did. She gave it right to good old Morty, even though he'd never be able to figure it out. Hell, I don't think he could solve a two-piece puzzle. Good general, complete idiot." He grinned reminiscently at the last thought, glancing up again a moment later. "Why do you want to know?"

"Chip's trying to figure it out. We've been at it for weeks, but we haven't gotten anything. We just thought you might've seen it. It would've been a lot of help."

"Sorry I can't help," he responded with a shake of his head. "That all?" She nodded, grin growing as he placed a quick peck on her forehead and grabbed a magazine. He wandered over to an empty chair and flopped down, flipping to a random page. "So where's our Xander the Great? I thought he was working today." Vida and Maddie rolled their eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day.

"He's being a drama queen" the Pink Witch answered. "Nothing new." Nick grinned knowingly.

"What is it today? Couldn't get his hair the way he likes it?"

"No, worse. He has a huge zit." The Red Magician winced mockingly.

"Ouch. The poor guy." Both laughed and, as if on cue, their subject of discussion popped up from his hiding spot and was across the room in seconds. Decorative mirror in hand, he was back to his facial study, picking up where he'd left off nearly an hour ago by examining his face from every angle.

"Oh, man," they could barely hear him mutter. "This totally ruins my perfect profile. How am I supposed to pick up the ladies when I look like a freak?" From across the room, Chip's face lit up, distracting Vida, Madison and Nick, who were all having a good laugh at their friend's narcissism..

"I think I've got it, guys," he exclaimed, drawing their attention to him and his epiphany. "I know what the other half of the map looks like!"

* * *

A week. A whole damn week had passed, and she still didn't know what she was going to do. Even with seven day's worth of introspection, she wasn't sure which path she was supposed to take now. One was more appealing to her, feeling like the right way to go, but the other seemed to be her destiny, what she was born to do. The second path was only an option because of her powers, passed through, ironically, her bloodline. She'd never wanted them or the life that came with them, but she'd never had a choice. Since she was a child, she'd been raised for the life she led now, but it had never been a life she wanted or liked.

Now her mom was gone, killed by the Yellow Magician, which left her with the powers she'd never wanted and always been destined for. Unlike the others, the legions of followers that had worshiped at her mother's feet and now at her own, she wasn't bitter about her mother's death; no, it was quite the contrary. She wasn't happy about it, of course, but she understood why it happened. In a way, it was her own fault - it had been her plan to lure them here, to turn one of them and use them as bait, and it had gotten Mom killed in the end.

So here she was, Leelee Pimvare, teenage Queen of the Vampires, with little to no direction to her life. The forces of Darkness had taken a nigh-deathblow in the last battle, losing four capable warriors in the process, and that wasn't including the new vampire queen who wasn't sure who she served. She'd been raised evil, but it wasn't something she'd enjoyed. She tried the whole evil shtick and it just didn't work for her. Look how well it had done for her mom.

Her new powers were evil powers, though. They were born eons ago by way of dark magic and they'd been used only for such since then. Vampires had always been viewed as evil creatures, at least in the magical realm, and stereotypes were hard to change, let alone fight against.

But who was stopping her from going against them anyway? She'd been experimenting with them for the past week, what with all the free time she had, and she had gained a slight mastery of them. She didn't really care whether or not Morticon cared or even knew that she was down here; he was too busy stomping around and trying to regroup his armies to notice someone he'd considered less than a pest. These were her powers, as unskilled with them as she still was, and he didn't control her like he had her mother.

She rose resolutely from her throne, mind settling on a solid decision for the first time in a week. The traditional body armor of the vampire queen shifted into a regular outfit, at least by magical standards. She knew where she had to go.

* * *

"So are you going to show us this big revelation of yours, or did we skip out on work for nothing?" Vida asked impatiently, tapping her fingers on the table she was leaning on. Chip remained stalwart across from her, shaking his head.

"I was waiting for Xander, but I think he's too absorbed by himself." They took a moment to give each other knowing smiles, and he then continued, tired of waiting for his friend. "So anyway, I think I've got it. While Xander was staring at himself, and I was staring at the map, the answer was staring at me: what if the map was like two halves of a face, minus the zit?" As they nodded, he summoned the mirror out of Xander's hands, much to the Green Wizard's chagrin, and held it up to the map. Paired with its reflection, the full image was finally created - that of a twin-peaked mountain, a dragon holding a shield standing before it and few lines of the Ancient's language around it. "What mountain does that look like?"

"Mount Asgreth!" the other three exclaimed in unison, stunned by how simple the answer was.

"We have to get it now," Nick added quickly. "The longer it's there, the better chance we have of losing it." The others nodded.

On the other side of the room, as Chip explained his revelation, Xander had been continuing his self-analysis, a new mirror within his hands. At least, he had been until Chip snatched that mirror away. Now he was just leaning against the bannister across from his friends, watching Clare stare at a potted plant almost as intently as he had been staring at himself.

"Come on, little plant," she muttered, spraying it again with a bottled yellow liquid. "Don't you die on me." Though he was almost mesmerized by her efforts, a squeal of joy pulled him out of it and his gaze snapped to her. She was jumping around gleefully, and he looked back to the plant. Where the dying fern had once sat was now occupied by a bright green, lively looking plant, a few sparks of magic fading away on its edges.

"What'd you do?" he asked confusedly as she hugged him. Her face lit up more, if that was even possible, and she stepped back.

"I made a potion that's supposed to turn sad, dead little plants into perfectly gorgeous living plants. I can't believe it worked! I've been working on it for weeks!" Her words struck a chord in his mind - _perfectly gorgeous_. Already, the hint of an idea was forming in his mind as he smiled along with her.

"So it's a perfection potion, then?" he asked slowly, not wanting to seem too anxious or reveal his intentions. For a moment, she thought about it, then nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I guess it is," she replied. "But it was mostly to test my potion-making skills. It's not like some great potion master brewed it or anything." She giggled giddily a bit. "At least I know I can do this much right." She looked to her plant once more, smile growing wider again as she walked, or more accurately, skipped away. Eyes drifting back to the unattended potion, the plan in Xander's mind was ballooning. Just a single spritz, hardly a dent in the contents of the bottle, and he could be on his merry way. If it worked, it worked and all was good. If it didn't, so what? It wouldn't kill him. It had worked for the plant, and he was basically a human plant himself, so why not try?

His hand was wrapped around the bottle already, enticingly light in his strong grip, and he'd raised it most of the way to his face when another hand landed on his shoulder.

"Come on, man," Nick said, turning the young man around. Xander quickly set down the potion and smiled.

"Yeah, we should get going," he hastily replied, garnering a suspicious look from the leader.

"Right," the Red Wizard said slowly. "We decided we're going to ride our brooms there instead of teleporting because it's not that far away. On board with that?"

"Works for me."

"Okay then. Let's go." Nick began to walk away, eying his friend warily, but left through the dragon's mouth nonetheless.

Once he was out of sight, Xander grabbed the potion and sprayed his face once. Setting the bottle down, he waited a moment for the potion to absorb into his skin, and to make sure that there were no immediate adverse effects. When nothing immediately happened, he jogged to catch up with the others, snatching his broom as he left.

His movements were abruptly ended when he ran into Vida's back, knocking her forward. She went tumbling to the ground, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group. Everyone looked to the pair as he helped her up again, apologizing profusely, and he confusedly looked to them.

"What's going on, you guys? Why'd you stop?" All of them, including Vida, looked up and forward, realizing once again that they'd stopped for a reason. Xander too looked up, and then he knew why they'd stopped.

Leelee stood nervously before them, chewing her lip absently.

"Umm... Hi, guys," she said. She received only a quiet "Hey" from Nick, who seemed the least stunned to see her. "Am I interrupting anything?" She fussed with the hem of her white long-sleeved shirt in a fidgety manner, looking like she barely knew why she was here.

"Nothing much. What are you doing here?" Vida snapped, eying the half-vampire mistrustfully. The blonde looked down shyly, watching the grass with devoted intent and for all the world seeming like she wished to be any place but there right now, silence pressing in on her.

"I-I'm not really sure," she responded, deflated. "I don't think I should be here, not now." She began to walk away, shoulders slumping. Before she could teleport out, a hand caught her arm.

"Yes, I think you should be here," said Nick. "You can at least explain why you're here in the first place." He turned her around and revealed the Rangers once again, each holding a broomstick in their hands. While Nick seemed to be okay with her presence, Maddie and Xander were wary, Xander more so, and Chip and Vida didn't try to hide their distrust in her, visibly agitated by her presence. She breathed a slight sigh of relief knowing that she wasn't being entirely shunned or, at the worst, attacked. Butterflies still reigned in the pit of her stomach, though.

"I just thought that I could, you know, join you guys or something. It's just - I don't want to be apart of the darkness anymore. It's not where I belong." The words tumbled out of her mouth all at once, bubbling up and spilling over before she lost her nerve. She stared at the ground and wrung her hands nervously.

"Amen," Nick muttered under his breath. This eased her tension a bit, knowing he was on her side. Unfortunately, the others weren't quite as receptive. She could feel the daggers Chip and Vida were staring at her.

"You're one of the bad guys. What makes you think you can just join us?" Vida spat, accompanied by a vehemently agreeing nod from Chip. Before it could go any further, Nick held up his hands in a halting gesture.

"Listen, can we do this later?" he asked rhetorically, as there was no room for question in the tone of his voice. "First, we need to find the Fire Heart. She can wait until we get back." He glanced to her. "Can't you?" She nodded without hesitation. "Good. I'm sure it'll be okay with Ud–Mom, if she stays here while we run our little errand." Taking the young woman's arm gently, he ducked back into the base with her.

"Hey, Mom?" he shouted, growing more accustomed to calling her 'Mom' as the days went on. His voice drew the elder woman out of a second floor room above them. Her smile quickly turned to one of questioning as she saw Leelee.

"What is it?" she asked, descending the stairs as she studied the pair with interest.

"Leelee needs to stay here while we go get the Fire Heart. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is, but why is she here?"

"She can explain it all to you while we're out," he said, placing a quick peck on her cheek. "See you soon." Like that, he was out with the other Rangers again, each one giving him their own odd look.

"What are you doing?" Vida asked sharply. "You're just going to leave her here?" He shrugged.

"Why not? I trust her, and I left her with Mom, anyway."

"Exactly. You left a _vampire princess_ with your mother! Doesn't that make you nervous at all?"

"No, it doesn't," he replied, matching her glare. "She only has magic, like us, no vampire powers. And anyway, Dad and Clare are there too."

"She's Necrolai's daughter, for Titan's sake!" Vida shouted, throwing her arms in the air. "It was her plan that nearly got Maddie and I killed!"

"And I agreed with it! Does that make me as bad as her?"

"Hell no! You saved us. If not for you, we'd be dead. The plan was hers, so she's the one to blame."

"If you're going to blame her, then blame me, too, because I'm just as responsible."

"I'm not going to blame you when you weren't in your right mind anyway! She wasn't under a spell! She's naturally like that. Being half-vampire makes her naturally evil."

"But I was in my right mind. That was part of who I am, and it still is. Does being half dark make me evil, too?"

"Don't try that shit with me. You're a whole different case."

"How so? She's evil in your mind just because she was born half-vampire, so unless you've got some stupid double standard going, I'm evil too!"

"She was raised that way! Why can't you get that through your thick skull?"

"Because there's nothing to get! She's not evil, not any more than I am."

"But you weren't raised that way. She's been trained to be evil since she was born. Do you not remember how easily she held off three of us back in the Cimmerian Forest, or were you too busy sucking my sister's face?" This time, he only responded with a glare. Neither backed down until a hand met each of their chests and pushed them apart. Maddie rolled her eyes, tired of doing so today.

"Guys, can we drop it? We can argue all we want later, but right now we really need to find the Fire Heart. We've wasted enough time already." Both looked at her for a prolonged second, then nodded reluctantly, anger still evident in their features.

"Let's go," Nick said, mounting his transformed broom, now in its Mystic Racer form. The others followed suit, tearing off into the skies when each was ready.

The trip lasted less than fifteen minutes, enough time to let Vida and Nick cool down, and then they were back on the ground and staring up at the stunning sight of Mount Asgreth for the first time with their own eyes. It was amazingly tall, taller than Xander in Titan mode. The peak was split, creating two points as the top of the mountain. A few clouds hovered around and between these tips, creating an almost mythical aura.

"Man, that's a big mountain," Chip commented.

"Do we really have to climb that thing?" Xander asked, a bit reluctant. It wasn't that he liked a good outdoor jaunt - quite the contrary, actually - but climbing a mountain in a magical dimension that could possibly be swarming with monsters and the like just wasn't the same as a walk through the woods. Plus, his zit still hadn't gone away, and that was a huge downer.

"Yeah, we do. Shouldn't be a problem for you, though, should it?" Nick answered, still surveying the mountain. "Anyway, I think we should split up. Chip and Madison, you guys take the left peak. Vida and I will take the right one. Xander?" He finally turned to the Green Wizard. "Seeing as you can do that full-body elemental trick, I think you should check out everything from the inside. Look for any caverns or weird spots, okay?" Xander nodded, liking the idea of not actually having to walk across the mountain for what could become endless hours. "Good. Let's get going." The two duos went off in their own directions, leaving just a wary Green Wizard behind. He watched the two groups disappear over small hills and beyond foliage, then sank into the ground below him, taking on an earthy form as he did so.

Gliding through the ground, one with his element, he felt completely at peace, like perfection. It was hard to keep focused on his task when his attention kept drifting to other things, like how cool and sturdy everything around him felt. It was intoxicating, and he could see why many magicians could get lost in this ability. It took all of his will to concentrate on finding caves.

Every so often, he'd come across one and pop right in, not bothering to drop his earthen form. Most turned out to contain nothing more than a lot of dirt and rocks. A few, though, were the living quarters for an assortment of animals.

During his first encounter with one such cave, the den of a fox kit, he was so startled by their bright red fur and low growls that he forgot he could easily escape into the ground and simply stumbled backward, tripping on a small stone underfoot. Arms windmilling, he fell onto his back hard, head snapping onto another larger stone. Cracking and shattering sounds reverberated through the small cave, and gave the foxes good reason to run.

For a moment, he simply laid there, neither breathing nor moving an inch. Then, stiffly, he sat up, a hand on the back of his head. It seemed perfectly fine - hurt like no other, though. Maybe you couldn't get water from a stone, but he was willing to bet that he could get blood.

Checking for just such a substance, he was relieved to find that there was none. So where had the cracking noises come from? A disturbing thought struck him, and he turned around slowly, silently praying that he hadn't accidentally landed on a fox. Fortunately, he wasn't met by a broken, dying baby fox like his imagination presented, but the stone his head had landed on, a large fissure running down it. He nearly laughed out loud. His head had broken a rock. A rock! Of all the people to have a hard head, he didn't consider himself one of them. Nick or Vida, maybe, but not himself. Of course, this situation was a bit more literal.

From there he'd continued his search, in and out of each cave and crevasse he ran across endlessly. All proved to be devoid of any interesting objects, and tedium had set in by his twenty-sixth. That, of course, meant that excitement was about to rear its ugly head, just when he had stopped expecting anything of interest.

True to itself, the thirty-third (or was it thirty-fifth? He'd lost count) cave was different from the others, consisting of one larger chamber and two smaller, sealed off rooms. Obviously they were special, having sealed doors blocking them off from the larger anteroom, but which one should he check out first? He had a good feeling about them overall, but he wasn't the luckiest guy around, especially when it came to these kinds of things. Chance decisions weren't exactly his thing.

He had to make a decision, though, so he moved into the right chamber. There was no light, but he noted that it was incredibly warm for a cave. Moist, humid air smothered him, coming at his face in slow puffs. It only took him a few seconds to realize that it wasn't a strange draft but the heavy breathing of a creature of some sort. He panicked as silently as possible, not wanting to give away his presence, but it was too late. A low growl echoed through the room (if you could even call it that) and Xander suddenly found himself crashing painfully through the door and onto the ground. Rock shrapnel fell down around him, battering him harshly for a second time as the jagged bits of what had been a door were caught by gravity. The creature he'd temporarily buddied up to stormed out, scanning for its new prey. As the empty eyes landed on Xander, he scrambled up, morpher in hand.

"Time to show you who's boss," he said confidently, swinging his arms in the familiar morphing fashion. "Magical source, Mystic Force!" He waited for the almost instantaneous change to Ranger form by way of a green spell seal, and a dull green sparkle lit up the crystalline tip of his wand without pizzaz, but nothing else happened. He shook the device desperately as he realized it wasn't working, adding, "Come on, little wand. Not now." The monster wasn't about to wait for Xander to try again or make an attempt to fix what was wrong, and grabbed the distracted young magician by either side, smashing him against the wall the now destroyed door had once been apart of. He managed to catch only a glimpse of something etched into the stone face before he was thrown into another wall without mercy.

There, he was left for a few seconds, long enough to get his thoughts together amidst the immediate reaction to run away or fight back. Why couldn't he morph? He hadn't put in the wrong code - the motion had become fluid and flawless by now, no way to make a mistake. Glancing down at the device in his hand, a thought hit him: maybe it was his rocky exterior. It did absorb the vicious blows the monster could deliver, but his Ranger uniform offered much more protection, strange as that seemed.

Feeling himself thrown against yet another wall, he mentally instructed his body to drop the stone, but it refused to. The impact of his body hitting another wall barely jarred him as he tried once again to drop it. This time, it melted away reluctantly, dripping like water off his body, just in time for him to feel the full force of landing outside the cave on his side.

Bright sunlight blinded him temporarily, but that didn't stop him from scrambling up and holding out his wand, shouting, "Magical source, Mystic Force!" for the second time that day, simultaneously thumbing the digits 1-2-3.

Thankfully, it actually worked this time, magically coating his body in the thin armor with the flash of a green seal traveling down him. The monster barreled toward him, but now he was ready for it, Magi Staff in hand. Before it could reach him, he smirked and pointed his wand at its chest.

"_Visc majula!_" he shouted just as it raised its fist in preparation for its attack. Stone pikes shot up from the ground underneath it, some grazing it and drawing the monster equivalent of blood, and others simply surrounding it, creating a cage from stone. When it realized what was going on, it began to throw itself at the jagged spikes, shaking them only slightly. Xander wasn't satisfied with just this, though, leaping through the air to land in his self-made prison. In the blink of an eye, the natural pikes all around descended into the ground and burst up again, all under the monster this time. Each speared and battered it brutally. With a tiny explosion and thousands of little green sparkles, it was gone, nothing left but the few drops of blood it had shed from Xander's initial morphed attack.

Letting out a deep sigh of relief and dropping the morph, Xander turned away from the spectacle and jogged back into the cave. He stepped gingerly over rubble, narrowly avoiding a trigger-activated load of slime that ate through every rock it hit almost immediately, to get to the far wall, the one bearing the inscription he'd barely glimpsed earlier. It was written in the language of the Ancients, something they'd learned long before they knew who the Ancients were, and he easily translated it.

"The Fire Heart is close as hand. Those who find it will rule the land, but take good care, for there is no clue: is it door number one, or door number two?" Glancing to the demolished door on his right, he threw open the other without hesitation. Inside sat a lonely treasure chest, tarnished silver edges glinting in the fresh light and looking like something straight out of a fairy tale or pirate movie. A small red ribbon held a piece of parchment firmly in its place over the lock, but he decided it would be better to wait until the others showed up to read it. With the possibility of curses always looming, the more people there, the better. Speaking of which...

He pulled out his wand and held down the call button, opening a line to each Ranger.

"I think I found it, you guys," he said. "Can you meet me back where we started?" The general replies of assent came in, individual wands beeping out moments later.

With that task done, he stowed away his own wand and looked at the chest. It looked like it was fairly heavy and he needed to get back to meet the others quickly. While they could teleport, or, in Chip's case, run, he was without either ability, which left him with either walking or taking his Racer. It would've been much easier to travel through the ground like before, but he wasn't sure how the chest would do on such a trip.

Taking his Racer was the better of his two options, but hauling the Fire Heart along somehow was going to be an issue, both in weight and size. Cautiously, he picked up the chest, hoping there were no booby traps under it, and was pleasantly relieved when there were none. It proved to be surprisingly light, shooting one problem down.

Again he took out his wand and summoned his broom back from Root Core, appearing at his side in its Racer form in a shower of green sparkles. Now came the task of strapping it to the vehicle. He couldn't hold it himself while flying, not if he wanted to live. Steering was something generally required to keep yourself away from a fiery death.

Some ingenuity and a few vines later, the chest was strapped haphazardly to the back of the Racer and he was off, flying away only slightly slower than usual to assure that his cargo stayed with him.

The trip barely bordered on two minutes, but he was still the last to arrive. Chip, Madison, Nick and Vida watched as he hopped off his ride and busily began untying the vines.

"You need some help with that?" Nick asked, motioning to the chest. Xander nodded, sending the last of his vine-ropes away with a flick of his wrist. The Red Wizard put an arm under each side of it and hefted upwards. Or, more realistically, he tried to. He managed to get it a few inches in the air, but the strain was evident in his face. Rolling her eyes, Vida joined in, and together they managed to carry it about twenty feet from the vehicle, setting it gratefully on the ground. This allowed Xander time to send his Racer away once again and join the moved group, Nick and Vida seeming overly tired considering the shape they were in.

"Man, how did you get that thing on your bike?" Vida asked. "It weighs a ton."

"Yeah, it does. I'm starting to think that the Fire Heart is just a bunch of cement," Nick joked, smiling a bit. "So how'd you get back there, anyway? Levitation spell?" The Green Magician inwardly rolled his eyes.

"You guys are just over exaggerating," he replied, bending over and easily picking it up with one hand. "See, not that hard." He set it back down, but was met with no words, only gaping mouths. "What?"

"How did you do that?" Vida asked incredulously, eyes wide. "It took me and Nick to carry it over here, and we barely made it." A voice to their right cackled.

"That won't matter soon, Rangers."

* * *

His sword trembled in his hand, itching to see battle once more. It had been a week since the stunning defeat his armies had faced, and he'd spent the entire time trying to gather the scattered factions once more. Without Koragg or Necrolai, his job became all the more difficult. He was the sole general left, and even the Master wasn't there to guide him now. No, he'd been destroyed by the Light, that annoying son of the traitor Koragg. The accursed boy had destroyed their leader like he was just another Hidiac, and now the forces of Darkness were without guidance in the middle of war.

_Not so,_ whispered a voice from the ether. The cyborg looked hastily around the pit for the source of this voice, but found none.

"Who are you?" Morticon demanded, startling a nearby group of Hidiacs.

_A powerful ally to you. The one you called the Master was simply my avatar,_ it responded. _And I am here now to guide you in his place._

"How do I know that you are not a trick of the Light?" asked the cyborg sharply. Black smoke roiled from the empty air around him, shrouding his body quickly and absorbing into every part of him. Waves of unimaginable pain washed over him as the voice answered him.

_Do not question me. Your 'Master' was nothing compared to the power that I have. He was a fool, and was destroyed because of it, but I shall not be. You are in my service now, so act accordingly, you robotic husk of a damned soul._

"I apologize," Morticon rasped. Instantly, the black smoke dissipated, and the angry reverberations throughout the room with it.

_Good. Then we can begin striving for our goal once again - conquering the kingdom of light and breaking through the barriers created around the human realm. Our forces long past were foolish to retreat to this world when we had the power to rule theirs, but we shall rectify our past mistakes._ Morticon fell to one knee, bowing to the unseen force.

"You speak the truth, master. But what can we do now? Our forces are scattered, lost, and our allies are gone." Harsh laughter echoed throughout the cavern, condescending in all its glory.

_Yes, our forces are next to depleted and unready to fight a war again, and those we thought to be our allies have deserted us, but hope is not lost. For all light, there must be a darkness to balance it out, and many new allies await us in the future. For now, though, a great power source is within our grasp. You are familiar with the Fire Heart, no?_ Morticon's eyes, if they had been able to, would've widened. _I see you do. Good, good. The Rangers have found it, and you must intercept it. If it comes into our possession, this war will become much easier._

"I understand, master. I will send as many soldiers as I can to retrieve it."

_Good. Now go, _it commanded. The cyborg general nodded and retreated from the room hastily. All that remained were a few scattered Hidiacs, confused by what had just happened, and the echoes of a deviously pleased smirk.

_A/N_ - Yeah, a second Author's Note. So sue me. Anyway, I hope this first chapter lived up to your expectations. It looks like it's going to be a three-parter. A good way to start this story off, I guess. This one is going to be much longer than Child of Darkness, not just because I have more episodes to work with, but because I have so many ideas in my head to work with. Some I'm still trying to work out (like what I'm going to do exactly with the Fire Heart since I'm not keen on the battlizer idea), but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.


	2. Chapter 2

The quintet of teens whipped around as the dead voice echoed around them, met by the sight of a Styxoid staring at them through its hollow eyes.

"Hand over the Fire Heart!" it demanded, holding out its axe in a threatening gesture.

"Not a chance," Vida shot back. Alongside the others, she flipped open her wand. "You guys ready?"

"Ready!" each responded. "Magical source, Mystic Force!" A rainbow of light engulfed the pentad, dying away moments later to reveal the core Mystic Rangers, weapons out. Each leapt into battle instantly with a half dozen or so of the droves of Hidiacs that had appeared, fighting them off easily while still keeping them away from the lonely chest.

Madison speared two on her trident, shooting them off into the air with three high-powered jets of water. One attacked her from behind, driving the sharp edge of its axe into the space between her shoulder blades, the point of connection lighting up in an array of sparks. She momentarily faltered and it took this time to sweep her right leg out from under her, gravity pulling her unmercifully down. With a bit of clear, calm thought, she managed to not freak out and twist her body around, stabbing up as she went down. The prongs of her weapon pierced the zombie's gut as she thudded hard onto the ground, grey fluids dripping onto the silver metal. Even as she pulled air back into her lungs to make up for what was forced out, she swung the caught Hidiac over her head and onto another two that were approaching her.

Nick and Xander, after cleaving a couple of zombies on their own, ended up together, surrounded by nearly a dozen of the creatures. Some, though sliced open and gushing strange fluids, clung to what passed as life in them, circling in and favoring undamaged limbs. They hacked away at the encroaching beings, arms and legs strewn on the ground around them to create a gruesome sight before evaporating into grey dust.

As Xander buried one half of his axe into the chest of a Hidiac, another approached from the other side and, reacting just in time, he jumped out of the way, driving the opposite side of his weapon into the chest of the new zombie. In the momentum of the swing, the first one flew off, landing with a disgusting crunch on the ground. It kept coming, though, and Xander quickly freed his axe, killing the original Hidiac with one simple move.

What he didn't have time to react to, unfortunately, was the second one bashing him in the head with its own axe. He fell to the ground in shock and his enemy beared down on him, taking advantage of the Green Ranger's momentary daze. Just as the young man's vision snapped back, he caught sight of the zombie raising its weapon, and then falling to the ground limply, head lolling off in another direction. Behind where it had stood was Nick, sword dripping with unidentifiable liquids.

"Thought you could use a hand there," he said, stabbing a Hidiac while helping Xander up with his free hand.

"Thanks, mate," the Green Wizard responded, kicking away another zombie and rejoining the fight wordlessly.

Chip and Vida had decided to double-team the foot soldiers, and it was incredibly effective. Vida simply remained in tornado form the whole time, blowing away any Hidiacs and the occasional Styxoid that dared to come close with hurricane force winds. Careening helplessly through the air, they had no way to defend themselves from the onslaught of electric arrows that Chip drove through each of them. Rapidly dissolving and decaying bodies fell from the sky around them, a sort of grisly rain that one would expect from a twisted horror movie.

The whole battle was just short of a walk in the park for them, albeit a slightly painful walk where you were attacked by zombies wielding axes, a frighteningly common possibility in their lives. Over their months as Rangers, they'd grown much stronger and faced enemies much worse than the borderline useless foot soldiers. It was all over in a matter of minutes, a few Hidiacs and a single Styxoid managing to retreat before they ended up like their counterparts. The Rangers regrouped around the chest, demorphing as they came together.

"Anyway..." Vida began, rolling her eyes at the minor annoyance they'd just finished off. "Now that we've dealt with that, can we get back to the original situation?"

"Which one?" Chip asked. "The one where we have the Fire Heart, or where Xander can pick up a freakishly heavy box like it's nothing?"

"Both," Nick answered, a small smile on his lips. "But we can deal with Xander's new freakishness once we're back at Root Core. Come on." He took Maddie and Chip's hand, not wanting to spare even fifteen minutes riding their Racers back, while Maddie took Vida's hand and she waited for Xander to pick up the Fire Heart chest before taking his free hand. The other propped the chest precariously on his shoulder, but he managed to hold it steady as they disappeared into a glowing spell seal.

Moments later, they were standing inside Root Core, startling the single occupant of the main room. Leelee jumped up expectantly, loose blonde bun bobbing with her.

"Hi, guys," she greeted, flashing a true smile. Her eyes drifted across the group, landing on the chest Xander still held and the arm he used to secure it in its place. Badly smothering a snicker, she asked, "What's wrong with your arm?" She pointed at it to emphasize her words, and that brought the others' attention to it. They weren't as amused as Leelee, rolling their eyes instead.

"Do you have to do that right now?" Vida asked pointedly. "Now's not the time to be showing off." Furrowing his brow as he tried to process what they were going on about, he moved the chest off his shoulder and into the cradle of both of his arms to get a better view.

"What are you guys talking about?" he inquired, peeking over the edge of the chest that obscured his forearm. "I'm not - woah!" As he finally caught sight of what they meant, he jumped back a bit, dropping the Fire Heart as he did so. It clattered to the floor loudly, a small scroll of parchment popping off as it hit, the ribbon that had once secured it now laying unfastened under the ancient paper. No one, of course, payed much attention to this, too caught up in Xander and his apparent dilemma with his arm.

It was a dark brown, lighter and darker streaks running up and down in the same direction. Neither terribly rough nor silky smooth, it was incredibly stiff while still being as flexible as his own skin. This, though, was not his skin. It seemed to be... wood. But it felt so natural that he hadn't even noticed it until the others had pointed it out. Fantastic.

"Now that you've made a big show about it, can we turn it off?" Vida snapped snarkily. For a second, he seemed to ignore her, only staring worriedly at his arm, but that broke when he turned to look at her.

"I can't," he said. "It won't go away. I keep trying but it just won't." This slight explanation seemed to make the others a little worried, hearing the undertones of distress in his voice. He wasn't showboating now; there was something going on here.

"How far has it gone?" queried Maddie, approaching him nervously as if he had some sort of magical disease. For all they knew, he did. "I mean, how far up your arm is it?"

"I don't know," he replied, taking off his leather vest as he did so. "I can't feel where it ends and my skin begins." She nodded and rolled up the short sleeve of his undershirt with a bit of hesitance. The varying shades of brown bark didn't end at his shoulder, though. Maddie gave him a meaningful arch of her eyebrows, which he interpreted easily and with a bit of shock. Reluctantly, he followed her command and pulled off his white shirt, exposing his bare chest and abs underneath. Well, not all of it, actually. The bark from his arm extended partway across his adjacent pec, looking as if it was slowly making its way across his body. The same look applied to his back and most of his left shoulder, seamless transition between wood and skin more than a little odd.

"Woah," she murmured, running a hand gently over his wooden pec. It tightened instinctively, moving just as real flesh and bone would. She smiled slightly. "Well, that answers one question." When he gave her a questioning glance, she sheepishly grinned. "I was going to ask if you could move it. You know, to make sure that you can at least keep moving and stuff, and so it's not messing you up completely on the inside. I think I'm going to be pretty useless from here, though. I'm not exactly an expert on magical maladies."

"It's not a magical disease, is it?" he asked, expression moving into territory beyond regular worry. No one seemed to have an answer, and silence enveloped the room for a moment, ending as a thought came to Nick.

"I bet Mom knows something. Between her and Dad, someone should have heard about something like this." The others nodded as he moved to the center of the room next to Leelee, who'd been silent since she first pointed out Xander's arm, and glanced around, not sure whether she was upstairs or not. "Hey, Mom?" he shouted into the empty air around him. His two simple words echoed throughout the two floors directly exposed to the main room, and the woman was drawn out easily from a hallway on the second floor.

"Yes Nick?" she asked, closing the weathered book in her hands and descending the stairs to join them. A grin escaped her lips as her eyes fell on Xander and she saw why her presence was needed. "Oh my. What has happened to you, child?"

"We were hoping you could tell us," Madison said. "He claims he can't make it go away, and it's actually gotten worse since we got back." Just as she had said, the wood had spread over more of his left pec, and was close enough to his neck to make him nervous when he saw it. Their mentor came closer, inspecting his left arm and chest with intense scrutiny.

"It seems like a simple elemental absorption, albeit a bit stunted," she stated, looking up at the Green Magician. "But you say that it will not go away, even with concentration?" He nodded in the positive. "And you did nothing abnormal to bring this on?"

"Define abnormal," he joked weakly, knowing that what was abnormal around here was a bit different than most people's perception of it. She responded with a smile and pulled on a small leaf jutting from his shoulder blade. A loud yelp could be heard resounding around the room as he leapt away from her, a hand twisting to cover the spot.

"What was that for?" he asked, adding a quiet, "...your hands are cold." She grinned again.

"I'm sorry. It was only to assure that it is indeed an extension of your own body, and not simply a shell," she replied. "As for abnormalities, I mean new spells, strange potions, a creature's power, things of that sort." She paused, allowing him time to think. Initially, he drew a blank, thinking of nothing that could make his relatively new skill go haywire other than the fact that it was a new skill. Then, as his normal hand rose to his nose with realization directed toward a completely different subject, one thing hit him.

"I did. I - I sprayed myself with Clare's new potion hoping to fix my nose," he admitted, glancing to the healthy pot of flowers on the stairs behind them. "Could that be what's doing it?" Udonna only shook her head.

"I'm afraid that it is the only explanation we have right now. Are you sure that was the only thing out of the ordinary - _our_ ordinary - today?" He nodded, nothing else coming to mind. "Then, if I may ask, what kind of potion was it?"

"It was a perfection potion for plants. She said she'd been working on it for weeks, and I figured one little spray wouldn't do either of us any harm. I _am_ a human plant, sort of," he said, adding an anxious, "What are we going to do?"

"You could probably make an antidote," Leelee suggested, breaking her silence. When Chip and Vida sent her hard glares, she didn't flinch, but meekly added, "I was just saying."

"No one asked for your help," Vida spat, but Udonna placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"But she is right. An antidote is our best option right now. Unfortunately, Clare is out gathering potion ingredients and assisting a sick goblin, and the potion is of her own creation. I do not know the ingredients, nor do I know where she keeps her lists. Right now, she is the only one who can help you, and I'm afraid she may be gone for several hours."

"So what am I supposed to do until then?" he asked pitifully.

"I believe we must simply wait it out. It doesn't appear to be life-threatening, and, if it is not Clare's potion, then there is a chance it will go away on its own."

"And I'm just supposed to stay here?"

"Unless you would like to go back to work for the time remaining." He inwardly flinched. That was definitely not an option. Being seen by his friends was one thing - they all understood magic - but to everyone in town, for all of the awareness they had of magic because of the Rangers, he would still be a freak. It would be a shock to the system to them, and a huge embarrassment for himself. He prided himself in his good looks, and right now, he wasn't exactly looking his best. At this rate, he'd be looking even worse within minutes.

"I'll stay here," he replied. "Can I at least put my shirt back on now?" With a grin, she nodded, glancing to the treasure chest he'd dropped and forgotten earlier.

"What is that?" she asked. They all turned to it as if it had just appeared, having forgotten about it in the midst of Xander's little crisis. Nick bent down to straighten the toppled chest and noticed the scroll that had popped off, picking it and the ribbon that had tied it to the chest up as he stood upright again. His eyes darted over the few lines written on it, assimilating the information.

"What's that?" Maddie asked, leaning over his shoulder to read.

"It's a riddle," he murmured. "This ancient puzzle is your task at hand. Solve it quickly to receive what's grand. But if you fail this timely chore, the Fire Heart will be no more." He looked perplexedly to the others, but they only shook their heads, not getting it any more than he did.

"Can I look at it?" Chip asked, indicating the chest. Nick nodded in response, though his friend really didn't need to ask, and the Yellow Magician bent down to inspect the intricate web of buttons and symbols that wove across the wooden exterior. For a few minutes, he sat in his crouched position and simply pondered, all sorts of meanings and combination's running through his mind. Several times it looked as if he'd found a solution, but these looks quickly fell away, replaced once again by intense thought. Finally, he shrugged and stood up.

"I've never seen a puzzle like this one before," he said. "I don't even know where to begin, and we've already lost twenty minutes." The others cocked their eyebrows confusedly.

"What do you mean?" Vida asked, glancing at the front of the chest where Chip had been.

"Didn't you see?" he asked. "There's a timer on the front. I think it started at three hours, and we've lost a little more than twenty minutes now. That's probably what the riddle meant when it said 'If you fail this timely chore, the Fire Heart will be no more.' It'll destroy itself when time runs out. Great, isn't it? And I have absolutely no clue how to solve it."

"Maybe we can do it together," Maddie suggested. "Help me move it up here." She and Chip each grasped a side and pulled up with all of their strength, but barely managed to lift it six or seven inches. After another half minute of this grueling but fruitless work, they gave up, Maddie giving Xander a desperate look.

"Care to help? You could put your herculean strength to use instead of being mopey, you know." He silently walked over to her and hoisted the chest onto the chest table with ease, adding to the questioning look on their mentor's face.

"Is there something else going on?" she inquired.

"Nothing that's a big deal," he replied tiredly. "Just everyone else making a big deal out of something pointless." She gave him a look that told him to elaborate nonetheless. "They all think the Fire Heart chest is really heavy, but I can pick it up easily, and they won't drop it." Her eyebrows furrowed with interest.

"Yet another interesting development with you. Tell me, did this begin at the same time as your earthen exterior, or has it been happening more and more often recently?" He took a moment to think, shooting down the immediate answer of "Just today" and thinking back to the past week or two. Everything that had happened with Nick, Maddie, Chip and Vida had overshadowed everything else, but it seemed glaringly obvious in retrospect. He hadn't had time to notice, what with trying to hold everyone together before there was a major meltdown, but everything had taken less effort in the past few weeks. The change had been so gradual that it had seemed insignificant at the time, but now the difference showed.

"It's been happening for a little over a week," he finally replied, reflective thought evident in his features. "What's it mean, though?"

"I cannot be sure, but, like Nick and Chip's newfound abilities, it may be a gift from your Titan, Viscan. Only time shall tell, though, and as it is, our time to solve the Fire Heart is limited. For now, we must focus on that." Processing what she said, he nodded absently and sat down in his chair, while Maddie went at inspecting the chest closely, Chip at her side. Nick and Vida hovered off to the side, not the puzzle-solving types. Several frustrating minutes later, Chip's face lit up.

"I've got it!" he exclaimed. The pentad within the room looked anxiously to him.

"Did you solve it?" Vida asked. He shook his head simply.

"No, but I think I know who can." The other teens, sans Xander, shrugged at each other and, trusting his idea, grabbed the chest, less strain with four of them to carry it. They followed Chip's lead out, leaving behind only an ignored feeling vampire queen, a bemused mentor and mother, and Xander, simply wishing today would hurry up and end.

* * *

"Hardest puzzle in the world, huh?" he asked distractedly, looking over every inch of the box.

"Next to impossible. Can you beat the clock?" the young man replied, eyes sparkling with challenge. His boss grinned and looked up momentarily.

"Two and a half hours? I could solve it in just one!" he proclaimed, glancing proudly to the four teenage employees standing around his desk.

"Great!" Madison said. "We'll leave you to it, then." She ushered everyone out of the room as the older man went to work with his new puzzle, a manic energy in his actions.

As they left, Vida leaned over to her twin and asked, "How are we going to get it back when he solves it? What if he wants to see what's inside of it?"

Thoughtful for a second, Maddie finally answered, "We can create a distraction if we need to and then take it back. Easy as it comes."

"Famous last words," the Pink Witch muttered before going back to her abandoned place behind the register. As she too went back to work, Maddie could only hope that her twin was wrong.

* * *

One and a half hours. It had been a whole hour and a half and Clare still hadn't returned. How sick could this goblin be? He was getting tired of just sitting around Root Core, flipping through old books on earth magic, some really quite interesting. Unfortunately, he was in no mood to read much of anything, so even the interesting books quickly accumulated into a 'To Read' pile, leaving him to silently fume again.

Two chairs over from him, Leelee sat quietly, reading a book entitled 'On Magick Goode, Evile and Intertwined' intently. He wasn't sure where he sat on the issue of her intentions, neither believing that she was pure vampiric evil like Chip and Vida, nor thinking her to be less than evil like Nick and Madison. Of everyone, he rode the fence. Sure, he'd gone up against her when they'd found the map to the Fire Heart, and she'd been more than formidable, but he had yet to see anything that could really sway his opinion. After all, they'd been alone in this room together for most of the hour-plus, and she'd yet to attack him even though she was a spectacular fighter. Of all times, now would make the most sense if this was some sort of surprise attack ploy.

With so little action within Root Core, he was becoming restless. His whole being ached with the urge to just get up and roam the forest. There, he'd still look like a freak, but so did everyone else. He'd be 'normal' there.

Finally, he gave in, on his feet and out the door before he could acknowledge his own movements. The warm, fresh air of the forest hit him in a refreshing wave, a few early leaves crunching under his feet and reminding him of something: school started tomorrow. What would they do if Clare couldn't make an antidote quickly? His parents expected him to go - it _was_ the first day of his senior year, after all - but going like he was now would blow his cover and, even worse, garner endless ridicule. He'd had enough of that for one lifetime when he first moved here, before he'd met Chip, Vida and Madison, and he had no wish to relive it. While he was now exceedingly popular, and not in the 'no one actually likes you, they just pretend to' way, he chose to hang out with his oldest and truest friends the most, keeping him constantly on the verge with the truly 'popular' people he knew.

That didn't mean too much to him, but the nasty rumors and vicious teasing that came with these kind of situations did. Since the fifth grade, when he'd been the new kid with a weird accent, he'd had the small but lasting fear of being teased. He tried to be nice to everyone and hold together the precious balance around him unless he had good reason to dislike someone. It was much easier to have enemies when you had friends to back you up.

Snapping from his realm of thought, a second set of footsteps echoed behind him. Great. For all of his luck, or lack thereof, it was probably a Styxoid or even Morticon himself. This could get messy. Mentally and physically preparing himself, he kept on walking with senses on high alert. After nearly twenty yards of being trailed, he was fed up. If it wasn't going to try to make contact or at least attack him, then he would do it himself. He stopped abruptly and whipped around throwing a punch with all of his newfound strength packed behind it. All he managed to catch, though, was the momentary sight of blonde waves flashing away, and then he was on the ground, staring into the bright blue sky. The same blonde waves bent over him, their owner looking at him with amusement.

"You don't need to attack me, you. I'm not the enemy, not anymore," she said, holding out a hand to hold him up. The slight roughness of the bark covering his palms didn't bother her, and she continued. "Or do you not believe me? Are you on Vida's side?" He shook his head as he stood up.

"I'm not sure," he answered. "You did fight us, and you were pretty evenly matched against three of us, but I don't really know. You have done some pretty bitchy things in the past few months, too, like making us think Nick stole money from the Rock Porium." Having the good grace to look ashamed, Leelee dropped her gaze to the ground.

"I'm not proud of those things. I won't make any excuses, but I can say that I'm sorry. I was lost in my own needs. Trying to fit in and be someone you're not can consume you. Not that you'd understand, would you?" she added bitterly. Inwardly, he snorted.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," he muttered, forcing his way forward to walk just a little ahead of her. She kept following him, matching his pace easily and not ready to let this conversation die.

"And I suppose you know what it's like, right? You know what it feels like to be the only one of your kind, the one that doesn't fit in because you don't act like them or even look like them, but you try so hard to be one of them that you almost lose yourself along the way? How could you understand that, Mr. Popularity?" she asked rhetorically, barbs in her words driving deep into him not for how much they hurt, but for how close to home they struck. Her words were heartfelt, and somewhere inside him, he could feel a little distrust in her melt away. At least she was being honest.

"I went through the same thing when I moved here, actually," he replied, words only sharp to match her own tone. "No one wanted to talk to me because I was the new kid from Australia with a weird accent and who cared more about playing his guitar outside than playing Playstation. For the first few weeks of school, I was all alone. Nobody wanted to know me. They just pretended I wasn't there because I didn't know who the latest band was or see the coolest new movie every weekend. I tried fitting in by liking what they liked, and I started making friends with the popular kids, and I hated myself for doing it, but at least I wasn't alone.

"A couple of miserable weeks later, I bumped into Vida at a party, looking at a CD collection. We started talking about music, and she talked to me like an actual person. We hung out more and more and she introduced me to Chip and Madison. It took me a while to realize that trying to fit in didn't work, that I just had to find people that I fit in with by being myself." His tone had softened considerably as she silently listened to him. "It just takes time. It'll take time for the other guys to trust you, too. If you really do belong here, everything will work out." She nodded.

"I know, but it's hard. I want to be good now. The darkness isn't in my future, whether you guys want me or not. I've made my choice. Now I can just hope that Chip and Vida can see it. Do you see it?" she asked tentatively, finally coming up next to him so she could look him in the eyes. The wood had moved farther across him now, covering all of his face and trailing down him right arm, but it didn't mar his reaction.

"I don't know. I understand what you're saying when you talk about doing anything to fit in and still not being able to, maybe more than the others do, but I'm holding back until you really prove that you've changed." Knowingly, she nodded.

"I get it. You want me to prove that I really am here to fight evil with my powers and not trick you. It's okay. It's more trust than Chip and Vida give me." He held up a hand to pause her.

"Wait, wait, wait. You have powers? Like, what? Magic?"

"Didn't I tell you?" she asked, becoming bubbly. "I'm the new Queen of the Vampires." A look of shock and disbelief crossed his face, but she went on. "Yeah, when Chip got rid of Mom, the powers passed on to the next in line: me. They're supposed to be evil powers, but they're mine and I want to use them for good. I have some magic, too, but not very much since I'm only half human. I'm hoping that maybe Luxulieris will see what I'm doing and she'll allow me a little more good magic, seeing as it would help a lot." He cocked an eyebrow.

"Luxulieris?" he inquired. She gave him a confused look.

"Don't you know about the Ancients?"

"Yeah. Eleven great magicians that created the eleven branches of magic. I've never heard of this one."

"She's a little less common than the others. Luxulieris, Lux for short, is the patron Ancient of all good magic. She's kind of like the mother of all of the other Ancients, except that she really isn't."

"And why would you have learned about her if you grew up in the Underworld, like Nick said?"

"She was just a footnote when we were studying Pravus. He's the Ancient of all dark magic, and the only evil one. The two of them were the teachers of the eleven other Ancients, actually. Taught them everything they knew about magic before the division of light and dark magic. He chose the darkness, and she chose the light, and that was that." She seemed finished, but hastily added an unsure, "Well, I think. I don't know too much about that stuff. Just what Mom taught me in between training." She sighed in depressed remembrance, and the pair trudged through the forest in silence again for a while. It took Xander only a few minutes to break it again.

"So... did you really grow up in the Underworld?" She nodded. "What was it like?" Ignoring the flood of negative memories, she managed to smile.

"Weird beyond belief. I was the only human there besides Koragg, and he hardly counts. He was never out of morph, even when he was just resting. Guess it helped the Master keep control of him. 'Course, I was the only half-human, but I never had any of Mom's powers until last week. I grew up around zombies, cyborgs, vampires, monsters and knights. Things weren't your textbook normal. When Mom wasn't putting me through endless training, I was studying magic and other stuff. I never got to have any fun, and none of us could go to the surface because the Gates were completely closed. We were cut off from the few people who weren't banished to the Underworld." His curious glance prompted her to elaborate. "You haven't learned much geography about the magical dimension, have you?" He shook his head. "It's divided into a handful of kingdoms, and the rest is just no man's land. There are people left in the dark kingdom who weren't sent to the Underworld because they technically did nothing wrong. They didn't fight, they were just raised evil." Absorbing the tidbit of knowledge with a nod, he smiled slightly.

"You know a lot, don't you?"

She shrugged like it was nothing, answering, "I just had a bunch of free time. You learn a lot when reading is one of the only things you can do besides sparring."

"I guess that's why you were all over keeping an eye on us up here, huh? A change of scenery and all that." She smiled.

"Exactly. I didn't have anyone up here, but it was way better than being down there. Fresh air, real food, others humans - this place is paradise in comparison, and that's another reason I want to join you guys. If the darkness takes over, everything up here will be ruined. Everything in it is so great, and so are you guys. You weren't my best friends, but you weren't mean to me, either. This place is more my home than the Underworld ever was." Her eyes drifted around contentedly, and Xander felt the rest of his distrust in her die away. She was sincere about what she said, actually quite likeable when she wasn't trying to be evil and, like him, she was more than just another pretty face. She'd struggled to fit in before she found her place, and she knew what it was like to be alone. He felt a strange kinship toward her, and that made it all the more odd to think that Chip and Vida could distrust her so much. She'd finally found a place where she just fit in, and they wanted to take it away from her. That wasn't right, not without giving her a chance. If it took all of his powers of persuasion, and maybe some help from a covert Plan Xander, he was going to convince them to let her stay.

And then, for the second time in thirty minutes, a dull pain resounded through his chest as he hit the ground. It took a moment, but a question slowly formulated in his mind: what had hit him? Rubbing his head and brushing away the pieces of grass that were creeping up and into his earthen body, he glanced around.

Leelee stood next to him, staring at something across from him. Following her line of vision, he came to some odd: Phineas on the ground, pieces of grass and dirt scattered across him. He, too, was rubbing his head, sitting straight up and looking around in a disoriented fashion.

"Phineas?" Xander asked. "What are you doing on the ground?"

"Napping," the troblin replied in his best 'duh' tone. "What are you doing walking on me?"

"Sorry," the teen apologized, standing himself up. "It's just hard to see you like that."

"Same for you," Phineas threw back, brushing off bits of grass as he too stood up. "'Cause, if you haven't noticed, you look like a tree." Xander rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for the news flash," he responded sarcastically. "Why are you sleeping here? Don't you have a home or something?"

"Course I do. This spot here just has some real nice grass that helps me sleep. My turn to ask a question now: why are you out here being all mopey? And who's she?" he added, pointing to Leelee. "Well, two questions actually."

"One, I'm not being mopey, just bored. Sitting around Root Core for a an hour or two with nothing to do can do that to you," he stated. "Two, she's Leelee... uhhh..."

"Pimvare," she supplanted, used to the reaction.

"Pimvare," he repeated. "She's the new Queen of the Vampires, but she wants to help us." For a moment, the two pairs of eyes held a steady gaze, locked in by one another. Then, simultaneously, they broke away, Leelee blushing and glancing down, and Phineas coughing without subtlety.

"Anyway," Xander continued, inwardly smiling at them, "we were just walking and talking. Leelee here is really smart."

"Really?" Phineas said, glancing at her again. "Smart and pretty, at least in a weird, human-ish way."

Again she blushed, cheeks bright red now, responding, "You think so?" He nodded vigorously, making her grin wider.

As sweet and awkward as the moment was, Xander was relieved when his dual wand/cell phone chimed. He gratefully grabbed it and flipped it open in one fluid motion.

"What's up?" he asked into the device. From the other end came Nick's voice, muffled by the sounds of fighting.

"We could use your help out here, man. We're at the fountain plaza a block over from the Rock Porium. Can you make it?"

"I'll be there," Xander replied without thought. "See you soon." With that, he clicked out, looking around. Leelee and Phineas stared at his expectantly, and he simply shrugged. "Duty calls. Care to help?" They nodded quickly, no hesitation when it came to helping the legendary Mystic Force, and took off in the same direction as he did. Each skidding to a stop not twenty feet later as Xander stopped abruptly, his whole body shuddering forward with the remaining momentum.

"What's wrong?" Leelee asked, confused by why he would stop now of all times. Not exactly knowing himself, looked down at his feet, the source of the problem. His head shot up seconds later, a horrified expression donning his face.

"I - I think I'm taking root."

* * *

"Which one of you failed me?" boomed Morticon, shaking his fang-sword at the legions of Hidiacs and Styxoids that had begun flooding the pit since this morning. Just moments ago, a Styxoid leader had returned from their attempt to recover the Fire Heart and reported the news of their failure, but had retreated into the crowds hastily to avoid punishment. Their attack had only been a few minutes ago, but they had wasted precious time getting back and Morticon's mood was only worsened by their tardiness.

From high up in the recesses fell a Styxoid, arms flailing as the stale air whooshed around it. With a sickening crunch, it slammed into the stone floor. The sound of bones popping echoed throughout the cavern, but still the zombie stood up, grasping its mangled arm as grey fluids dripped out of other wounds. Morticon wasn't sure if this was the same Styxoid or not, as they all looked the same, but his wrath would be spent on something and this being was easy pickings.

"I have failed you and your master, but I " it stammered, what could be seen as fear in its voice.

"No more, soulless mutant!" the general bellowed. "You are no longer needed here."

Realizing what was coming, it tried to scream, "No, no, no!" but was stopped by the piercing blade in the cyborg's hands cleaving him apart. The magically sustained body fell to pieces and dissolved into smoke before him, leaving the leader of the Underworld contemplating what to do next.

Responding to his thoughts and need for guidance, the heavy, mysterious voice wafted through his mind like the refreshing breezes that the Underworld never saw.

_Do not worry,_ it said. _The Fire Heart is only lost for now. We still have a chance to recover it, as the foolish Rangers have left it unprotected in the human world. All we must do is retrieve it. If we are lucky, they will even solve it for us. _A low laughing rumbling through his mind, but a question broke through.

"How shall we find it, my master?" he asked. "I cannot go to the surface with the Gates closed and my soldiers are useless." Again the strange being laughed.

_I have already considered that. That is why I have found a more than capable warrior to assist us._ On cue, a creature stepped from the shadows. It was constructed entirely of bones, some not even human, and carried a menacing, confident presence. _He is Skullington, able to hone in on magical energies and virtually indestructible. He has great promise._

"I will not fail you, my liege," he said, kneeling before Morticon. "I live to destroy the light. Give me a mission and I shall follow it to its end, or my own." Circling the monster, he nodded appreciatively.

"Can you detect the Fire Heart?"

"There is no question. It shall be yours, master," he replied, standing up and backing away a bit. The gist of a smile echoed through the room.

_Good. Be gone,_ said the being. A dark purple, almost black, seal swallowed the skeletal monster on the mental command of the nameless entity.

As the presence of his new master dissipated, Morticon reclined back into his throne. Today was going much better than expected.

* * *

Things around the Rock Porium were peaceful, at least by its standards. Nick sat in a chair flipping through a motorcycle magazine while Chip helped a customer, Maddie marked down some CDs and Vida worked the turntables. Occasionally they could catch a glance of Toby working himself crazy over the Fire Heart, a paper or two wafting down around him as he frantically searched for notes he'd taken earlier.

This peace, like all times of such centered around them, was not meant to last forever. Each of their heads snapped up as a scream resounded outside. As if to reassure that it wasn't simply someone freaking out, more screams and shouts floated to them, startling the few customers inside the store. Sharing a glance that couldn't have lasted more than a second, each Ranger either jumped up or, in Chip's case, hastily wrapped up what they were doing before shouting an array of excuses in Toby's direction and sprinting out of the store.

Outside, they were met by exactly what they'd expected: a few dozen Hidiacs, interspersed with Styxoids, plowing across the park, lashing out at any humans who came near. In the center of these creatures stood one with a far more menacing presence, made entirely of bones and twisted grey flesh. Though it had no facial features, the skull it used as a head seemed to be shaped eternally into a demented smirk, jagged fangs jutting out every which way.

With too many citizens still much too close, despite their valiant efforts in fleeing, the four teens ducked into an alleyway and, sure that no one could see, pulled out their wands. They shared momentary glances, each ensuring that all the others were ready, then did what they knew they had to do.

"Magical source, Mystic Force!" they shouted in perfect unison, arm motions matching just as well. In an instant, they were the Mystic Rangers, sans a Green, and they were back out in the street, fighting through the zombies with no reserve.

Though beating down the foot soldiers was nothing short of easy for the Rangers, the sheer number of them, paired with the fact that more kept on coming, made the battle less than fun. More and more rushed on them persistently and prevented them from attacking the skeletal monster, who was moving with hardened intent toward the opposite side of the park. At this rate, he would make it to his destination before they could annihilate all of the Hidiacs and stop him.

Seizing the reins as leader, Nick whipped out his phone in the middle of cutting open a Styxoid and opened the line to Xander. They could use every Ranger they had right now. A moment later, the accent-tinged voice sounded clearly over the connection.

"What's up?" he asked, sounding relieved for some reason.

Taking a moment to pull his sword out of a Hidiac, Nick replied, "We could use your help out here, man. We're at the fountain plaza a block over from the Rock Porium. Can you make it?"

"I'll be there. See you soon," Xander answered, beeping out. Nick too disconnected, and immediately felt something strike the back of his head. He stumbled forward, trying to regain his balance, and barely dodged the blow that followed, piercing the attacker's heart. As it faded to dust, he moved onto another, happy to see that the legion of zombies was beginning to thin but trying to stay focused on the battle at hand. In a brief moment of rest, he rubbed the back of his helmet as if it would help the knot he could feel growing on the back of his head. It, of course, didn't help, but it was the thought that counted, and he had to behead a Hidiac quickly as it barreled down on him. As he once again began fighting, he could only hope that Xander would get here soon.

* * *

_A/N_ - Here it is, my second chapter. The next chapter will wrap up the Petrified Xander arc, and it will be much longer than this chapter, which is relatively short compared to past chapters. Today is my last day of winter break, so don't expect updates to be very frequent until April-ish. I have Scholastic Bowl and play practice until mid-March, but I'm going to try as hard as I can to get up as many chapters as I can. Believe me, I'm really excited about this story, especially the Dark Wish arc. That's going to be _really_ long and I have a lot planned. It's going to be much darker than the show's version.

But why am I getting ahead of myself? I'm not even done with PX yet. Ah well. I hope you enjoyed this because it might be a while before the third chapter is up, though I might get a RoC chapter up in that time. I'm not sure yet. Either way, I must now bid you all adios and happy New Year, even if it is a day late!


	3. Chapter 3

"Taking root?" Leelee asked with an arched eyebrow. Xander nodded weakly.

"I think the wood is taking root, and I'm going with it," he replied helplessly. The wood that had covered his feet just minutes ago was now expanding down through the ground, having broken through his boots. He could feel it, an extension of his own body moving of its own volition. It was a terrifying, cold sensation, and yet it was frighteningly freeing, a sense of pure nirvana. It was perfection.

If the still spreading wood hadn't covered his mouth just seconds before, he would've laughed in harsh realization. It had been a perfection potion Clare had brewed, and now he was getting what he wanted. When he was at one with his element, he felt happy, calm, perfect even. The potion had obviously reached beyond its original purpose of outer perfection and moved onto utter perfection. It drew his element into him in an effort to reach this perfection, and it was certainly doing its job well. Obviously it had already turned his entire body. Now it was moving onto turning him into a true tree. He fought against it with all of his might, but it was useless. The magic was winning.

_Oh well,_ he thought, relenting to the power. At least he had the next hundred years or so to reflect on what an idiot he was. It seemed so trivial now, the single, albeit massive, zit that had plunged him into this mess by way of his own vanity. How could he have been so conceited? No one could look perfect all of the time, not even the almighty Xander the Great. Sometimes nature just had to run its course, a tenet of his element that he'd lost in his heyday of vanity.

The path he'd chosen today, though it had seemed like the easier choice at first, was proving to be the hardest to take. The longer he'd lingered on it, the harder it had become to escape, and now he was stuck. When he'd woken up this morning, this hadn't even been in his wildest thoughts about how today would play out. This was definitely a different path than he'd imagined being on, but now he was stuck with it. Hopefully it led back to his normal path, but he was lost to the spell's power now. He at least knew how wrong he'd been in taking the easy way out. Magic wasn't a cure-all, an easy out for his stupid little problems. Unfortunately, only a miracle would be able to save him now.

"There you are!" came a voice, echoing a bit as is from far away. It seemed excessively exuberant, and he knew instantly who it was. "I've spent the last fifteen minutes looking for you guys! Udonna said you left right before I got back."

"Did you make an antidote?" Leelee asked. Though he couldn't see it, as the bark had overtaken his eyes a few minutes back, Clare was nodding enthusiastically.

"Is that Xander?" she asked, pointing to the nearest tree. Leelee smiled ruefully.

"What tipped you off?" The apprentice blushed a bit, knowing the question was pretty stupid when the tree in question was wearing clothes and still retained a human-esque appearance. "What are you waiting for?" Leelee added, sounding harsher than she meant to out of desperation. She didn't want to lose Xander so soon, not when she'd started to gain his trust. He had a lot more in common with her than she'd imagined, and it was nice to have a friend who understood what she'd gone through, even in his own way.

Spurred on by her new ally's words, Clare jumped into action. A fine mist of the potion drifted onto him, dissolving his barky outer layer where it hit. Unfortunately, it was too fine a spray to work effectively, and it wasn't near quick enough for Leelee.

Impatient, she grabbed the bottle, muttering, "I've got a faster way." In the blink of an eye, her regular appearance was gone, replaced by one they were much more acquainted with. Before them, Leelee stood in the armor of the Queen of the Vampires, having previously been that of her mother Necrolai. A few simple changes had been made to it, but the same essential look was retained: a black leather outfit accented by tall black boots, long black gloves with claws, thick chest plates of leather that extended out past her shoulders and black mesh to cover the exposed areas. Nothing covered her head right now, long blonde locks contrasting greatly with her dark attire.

As Clare and Phineas stared on in shocked awe, Leelee rose into the air, hovering with her hands just above Xander's head. Carefully, she unscrewed the lid and let it drop to the ground, now too intent on tipping it ever-so-slightly and not dropping it. The contents poured out slowly onto the former Green Wizard's head. As it dripped down his body, it stripped away the bark and leaves, all either dissolving or traveling with the liquid.

It didn't take long to completely free the young man. As the fresh air hit his face, he opened his eyes, looking both startled and pleased. Gratefully, he smiled at the trio around him.

"Thank you so much," he said. "If not for you, I'd still be a tree." This comment, filled with thanks, seemed to be directed at both Clare and Leelee, both of whom smiled. He didn't seem phased by the new queen's armor. In fact, it actually reminded him of where they had been heading before this little roadblock. "Hate to break this up right now, but I think we have a fight to get to."

"Right," Leelee said. "Let's go." The trio began jogging away yet again, but Xander stopped as he noticed someone was missing.

"Are you coming?" he asked Clare, who shook her head.

"No. Knowing me, I'll just get in your way, anyway," she responded. "This is your fight."

"Are you sure? Our fight is your fight, too, you know."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Now's your time, not mine." She smiled. "Now go. The others need you." Reluctantly, he nodded and followed Leelee and Phineas to the closest tree, off into battle.

Surprisingly enough, it had made its way into the far end of the park across from the Rock Porium since Nick had called, and they were thrust instantly into the middle of the battle. A few dozen Hidiacs, a handful of Styxoids and one run-of-the-mill monster fought four brightly colored warriors. Each alternated between killing foot soldiers and going for the monster itself. The battle itself seemed incredibly normal by Ranger standards, but they were about to shake that up a bit.

Leelee summoned the missing element of her costume, the mask of the vampire queen. Following suit with her slight changes to the outfit, the otherwise normal mask contained one simple change: the glassy eyes were gone, now simply holes for her own blue orbs to shine through. Next to Phineas, she jumped into battle, the troblin having entered quickly with no identity to protect in this realm. Xander raised his open wand to the sky and shouted, "Magical source, Mystic Force!" A green spell seal swallowed him from above, morphing him into the Green Mystic Ranger instantly, and he too joined the fray.

When it came to fighting grunts, none of them were having too hard of a time, especially as the numbers began to dwindle compared to the numbers they'd faced just minutes ago. Phineas was a surprisingly good fighter, and Leelee surpassed even him. Each of the seven fighters took on close to a dozen of the zombies while jumping in with the monster, Skullington if they'd heard correctly, when another was knocked away. He seemed uninterested in fighting them, only dealing blows that would keep them away. His focus was directed elsewhere, but they refused to let him close to it.

When Nick was finally knocked away by a harsh jab to the gut, Xander saw his chance and jumped in. The monster hardly gave him a once-over and pressed on.

"Another color will not help your cause. The Fire Heart is mine," it growled, readying its weapon.

"I beg to differ," Xander responded, halting the advancing creature by placing the top of his axe on its chest. "The Fire Heart belongs to us." It looked down to the weapon in its way, disgust obvious even in its unmoving features.

"Out of my way," it commanded.

"Not a chance."

"If you wish. Ha!" It thrust its weapon toward the Green ranger's chest as it had done to Nick, but the young man expected this and ducked in time.

"A bit predictable, huh?" he snarked, bringing his axe down and away from the creature in the same movement. "You used to same attack on everyone else. I, on the other hand..." The blade of his weapon pivoted fluidly, shifting direction to connect with the monster's side brutally. The sound of bones popping and snapping echoed around them as tiny shards pierced the air. Xander smiled briefly, but that expression faltered as the shards stopped midair, hovering in their spots for only a moment before reversing direction. They reassembled into the few shattered bones, and Skullington let out a faint chuckle.

"Nice try, Ranger, but I am not so easy to defeat. Out of my way." In bare instants, he was flying back, the force of the blow rippling across him. His body prepared itself for the impact of the ground without the option of sinking into it, but it never came. All he felt was the slight give of twelve hands catching his back.

"You okay, man?" Nick asked as he glanced to them, shocked but thankful. He nodded and stood up with a little bit of their help.

"Getting better," he replied.

"See you got over your little 'problem,' " Chip added. The green ranger was about to respond when the creature cut in.

"You are in the way of my objective. Leave or face my wrath," it said, pointing its bony staff at them threateningly.

"No way," Nick shot back. "If you haven't noticed, there's seven of us and one of you. Believe me, we've faced a lot harder than you."

"I doubt it. Move."

"Now why would we do that?' Vida asked, sarcastic barbs almost as sharp as her opponent's sharpened bones. "We already destroyed all of your grunts. You can't be too much worse."

"I will not say it again. Move." The Rangers and their allies stood firm, ignoring the no-nonsense tone from the creature and the stares of civilians poking their heads out from their hiding spots to watch the team of Rangers that Briarwood called its own. The return, both sides, good and evil, ignored them, and the monster glared at the Mystic Force. "So be it. Bone Attack!" it shouted, the bones dangling on either side of its head suddenly shooting straight up, parallel to the ground. In the fraction of a second after, close to a dozen piercing beams of purple energy burst from each hovering bone. The air around each beam sizzled as it briefly touched the light energy, ionizing the air slightly.

Only Chip reacted fast enough, jumping in front of the others and holding his wand before him. The crystal tip flashed yellow just as the dark beams reached his extended arm, the purple light channeling into the shining tip like water being sucked down a drain, swirling and sparkling as if a demented light show. Even with all of the attack captured, Chip didn't lower his wand, watching instead the momentarily startled demeanor Skullington had adopted, and smiled under his helmet, knowing what he had to do now.

"How about a taste of your own medicine?' he asked mockingly, a bit of his semi-latent serious hero bleeding through. With a swift flick of his wrist, the wand had changed into its crossbow form and was aimed at the creature's chest dead center once again. "_Nu Lev Diozum!_ Captured Lightning Strike!" The crackling energy burst out of the confines of his weapon, having the same effect on the air as it originally had, and then some. It struck Skullington's chest dead on, exploding on contact first as sparks, then as a true, fiery explosion. Broken chunks of bone flew in every direction across the park, those ranging in size from mere shards to those almost as big as human fists raining to the ground with tremendous force, some even becoming embedded deep in the dirt.

A jagged, smoking skull landed a foot or so away from Chip, who still held his crossbow in the same triumphant, finished way one would hold a gun just fired on a downed enemy. Another skull, smaller and of red crystal, rolled out from its larger counterpart. The Yellow Ranger's gaze darted to it just as it lit up with a hazy light from within, illuminating the whole thing within seconds. It hovered a foot up by way of its own power, the light almost unbearable by now, but Chip only flinched a bit, not as affected by intense light as the others. Each individual bone began shaking, some levitating toward the skull and others trying to free themselves. Quickly, they came together to once again form the monster, and Chip's grin, which had faded considerably, now fell completely.

"Ha ha ha..." it rumbled, deep, dark ones permeating each of them. "I told you, I'm not so easy to defeat. Care to try again, or do you give up?"

"We never give up!" Nick exclaimed, stepping up next to Chip. Madison followed him, then Vida opposite her, Xander next to the Blue Ranger and Leelee and Phineas flanking them on the outer edges. With his friends rallied around him, Chip lowered his crossbow again.

"You know, I would like to try again," he said as each person aimed their hand at his weapon. A colored beam of light arced from each hand to the crossbow, all shining the color of their respective Ranger, while Leelee's was a lighter shade of the usual dark purple and Phineas' was regular white, tinted by flecks of gold and purple. As it completely gathered and without a moment's hesitation, Chip pulled the trigger, simultaneously shouting, "_Majuna Aduro_! Mystic Light!" A more explosive energy that before was released this time around, pushing Chip back slightly with the force. The monster didn't even bother reacting, knowing how it would turn out, only letting out a low growl before being torn apart.

As the light faded and smaller pieces once again rained down on the field, the Rangers stood semi-victoriously, Nick and Maddie moving forward. Just like before, as the crystalline skull landed about thirty feet to their left, it began to glow, causing some of the still falling pieces to change direction midair and head toward their beacon. With synchronized movements, the Red and Blue Rangers held up their wands, pointed dead center at the skull.

"_Banishio_!" they shouted in unison. Identical spell seals, one blue and tinted by gold, and the other a bright red flecked by the same gold and a little purple, flew from their outstretched hands. Melding together into a single, larger seal midair, it encircled the ground under the carmine skull. Bright red and blue lights shot up from it, engulfing the target and spreading the magic to every bone it was connected to. Each white shard glowed with the same red and blue light, and they all disappeared back into the Underworld at the same moment that the skull was dragged down.

When all traces were gone, the septet relaxed. The monster was gone, at least for now. The quiet that had settled over the park was broken just moments later as the civilians drifted further from their hiding spots, awed chatter drifting to the team.

"What's that thing? The ugly one on the end?"

"I'm not sure. It looks kind of gross."

"That one girl on the end looks a lot like whatsername, doesn't she? Necrolai, I think."

"Did you catch who the green one is? He wasn't morphed when he showed up."

"No, he was too far away. Anyway, he was in these really weird clothes."

"C'mon, let's get closer." The crowd, as if on the same wavelength, began moving in, and the Mystic Force looked around nervously.

"I think we should get out of here, you guys," Chip suggested. They all nodded and Nick muttered a spell, pulling them away in a variegated spell seal.

They reappeared outside of Root Core just moments later, the Rangers each dropping their morphs and Leelee her vampire armor, while Phineas just stood around calmly for that second.

"Wow, that was a close one," Xander commented. "Could've easily become a mob scene." Vida nodded and turned to look at him, speaking as she did so.

"That could've got real ugly real fast. But at least we -" Her words dropped off as she saw him, jaw dropping. He arched a confused eyebrow.

"What is it?" he asked suspiciously, but with an edge of nervousness. Hopefully his little 'ailment' wasn't back. The others too turned to see what was going on, their reactions to whatever Vida had first seen somewhere between restrained laughter and interested shock. "Seriously guys, what's going on?" He was getting more nervous now, but they only continued to stare and snicker. Not getting any answers from them, he followed their stares back to himself at two separate points on his forehead, maybe half an inch up from his temples. That was when he saw them.

Two large white things, one resting just above each temple on the fringes of his hairline, protruded from his head. They looked almost like ivory, pearly and curved somewhat like 'S's pointing out from either side in opposite directions. Each tapered to a point at the end, seeming dangerously sharp by the looks of it. They were horns.

To an extent, his reaction mirrored their own, less humor and more stunned silence. Finally, he let out a low, "What. The. _Hell?_" His hand drifted to one mindlessly, taking in the smoothness and how it seemed to be as an extension of his own body.

"I think they're horns," Vida ventured with a giggle. "They look good on you."

"Yeah, they kind of fit the whole minotaur motif," Maddie added with a grin.

"It's not funny, you guys. What the hell is going on?" Xander asked humorlessly. "These... _things_ weren't here when I morphed." Each person became a bit more serious upon hearing his tone, shaking their heads.

"None of us know what's happening, Xander," Chip answered. "And I don't know if there's anything we could do to help."

"Maybe we can't, but Udonna might know something," Leelee said. Vida was about to give her a sharp remark, but Phineas stepped between the two girls, holding up his hands to halt to Pink Witch.

"Leelee here is really smart. It doesn't matter if you don't like her right now because you should listen to her. She has a point, after all." Nick nodded in agreement.

"She is right. Mom may know something." He turned to face the exposed second level, looking toward the hallway that led to an assortment of bedrooms, some used and others not. "Mom, are you up there? We have a bit of a problem. Again." Waiting for a moment, he could hear the click of a door and heavy footfalls, but who emerged at the balcony was not the parent he expected.

"Yes, son?" Leanbow inquired. Nick smiled at him and looked into the hallway just beyond the elder warrior.

"Is Mom around?"

"I'm afraid not. She took Clare into the forest to train. I'm not sure when they'll be back." He looked apologetic, but Nick only shrugged.

"That's okay. Do you think you could help us?" The father nodded and ascended the stairs toward them. It was odd having him around now, knowing that just last week he'd been one of their most powerful enemies, but they were getting used to it. His memories of his life before the Great Battle had been restored, along with his true personality, but he still remembered nothing of his time as Koragg. Sometimes, Nick couldn't help but notice the similarities between the two: the faint, dark stubble, the grey eyes, how he held his head when deep in thought. He still had yet to decide if that was in fact Koragg bleeding through to Leanbow or Leanbow shining through when he had been Koragg, but he was definitely Leanbow now. In the loose scarlet shirt and creme pants, he looked much more neat, and combing his longer hair back helped. The spattering of stubble across his chin didn't help, but no one minded. It was almost like a reminder that, while a permanent part of the light now, he had started in the darkness and he wasn't pure goodness, something that Nick could relate to. He hadn't been raised by the darkness, but he had the line of it running through him and knew the draw it could offer.

"So what's the problem?" he asked, snapping Nick from his train of thought. No words necessary, he stepped out of the way to reveal Xander. Eyebrows knitting, he smirked a bit at the sight.

"I see, I see," he murmured, amusement evident in his voice. "And what brought this on? Spell gone wrong? Aftereffects of a creature?"

"No, nothing like that," Xander responded. "I actually didn't do anything this time."

"This time?" the mentor questioned, eyebrows arching more.

Sheepishly, he answered, "Yeah. Earlier I was turning into a tree because I sprayed myself with Clare's perfection potion to get rid of a zit. I thought we fixed that, though. Clare made an antidote anything. Even got to learn a bright, shiny lesson." Leanbow, with this information, placed a hand on his chin in thought.

"Well," he began after a moment of thinking, "oddly enough, your situation is not unheard of. Rare, yes, but not unheard of. Several cases have been documented since magic was first recorded."

"And...? What's going on?"

"You say you learned a lesson today?"

"Well... yeah." Leanbow smiled knowingly.

"Then that is it. You see, the Ancients have an odd sense of humor and strange ways of imparting knowledge. It looks as if you are apart of one of these cases. You've learned your lesson, but Viscan wants to see if you can apply it. Right now, I'm sure he's laughing at your plight."

"Fantastic. Somewhere, a magical being is laughing at how badly he's messing up my life. Just what I wanted," he replied with a bitter scowl. "Doesn't he know I have school tomorrow? I don't think the teachers will appreciate my new _horns_. I'll probably get arrested for bringing weapons to school. Then I can be a really useful Ranger when I'm in a fucking prison." Leanbow shook his head.

"I'm afraid I cannot help you there. When they go away is dependant on you alone."

"So what am I supposed to do until then? Wander around some labyrinth?"

"Just live your life. Prove that you've truly learned your lesson."

"But -"

"I'm sorry, but that is all I can say. This problem is yours to fix, so I suggest you go at it." With that, he turned around and disappeared into a hallway branching off of the main room, leaving five Rangers and two allies to think it over.

"Well, get going," Vida said after a minute. "Go back to life for a while. Try to fix this thing." He looked at her reluctantly, but she shoved him toward the door without remorse. "Go. We'll deal with everything around here. I'm sure Toby's swamped without us." She paused, a little light going off in her mind. "Which reminds me, check up on him and the Fire Heart for us. The timer should be pretty close to running out. It's been something like two hours since we gave it to him." From his spot in the archway, Xander nodded, then left slowly, still not so sure about facing the world with horns.

Once he'd gone, the others turned back to look at one another.

"So what do we have to work out around here?" Madison asked, glancing around as if the answer would jump out at her. Vida gave her twin a meaningful look.

"Whether or not Leelee can stay," she answered, sounding as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Everyone's gazes turned to the vampire queen, who sighed.

"Knew this would come sooner or later," she said. "If you don' want me to stay, I'll leave."

"I think you should stay," Nick responded, and she gave him a tiny smile. It felt like so long ago that she'd had a huge crush on him, surveying every inch of his body. Now, that desire seemed to fade with each moment, overshadowed by an interest for something - no, someone - else. To be so enamored with someone so gross, someone she wouldn't have even thought twice about months ago, or even acknowledged the existence of, just showed how much her life had changed recently.

"I want you to stay, too," Maddie added. Again, Leelee smiled at her one-time rival, grateful for the support. Whether it was only because of Nick or because Maddie truly trusted her, she didn't know, but it was support nonetheless.

"You guys all know where I stand on this," Vida said. "How about you, Chip?" She looked to the young man next to her, who shifted from foot to foot nervously. He usually tried to stay out of fights, especially when he was so conflicted, but the few months he'd spent thus far as a Ranger had brought out him out of his shell, much like Madison. Even being apprehensive about joining what could become a verbal fray, he wasn't going to step down from adding his two cents.

"I think she should stay, at least on a trial basis."

"Jeez, don't make her sound like a computer or anything," Vida commented with a roll of her eyes. He sent her a wry grin and continued.

"I know it's just the vampire hunter in me, but I don't trust her. I did see her fight out there, though, and she really seemed to be fighting for us. I know that COUNTV is going to have a field day with this, but she can stay, at least until she proves herself one way or another."

"I don't know if I really have any say in this, but I think she should stay," Phineas said. "I mean, I'm know I'm not apart of the team or anything, but you guys are the Mystic Force. You're supposed to protect all of us from evil, so I think I should have some say in this too and I want her to stay. I think Xander did, too, but he's not here to say." She smiled shyly at him and he continued, liking how her lips curved when she did that, and still not done defending her. "I know she's part evil and all, but so am I. Part troll, part goblin; part evil, part good. Even Nick's got dark blood. At the end of the day, we can only be ourselves, right? I think she's just being herself by being here."

"Wow, you're pretty smart, too," Leelee responded, grinning madly while avoiding prolonged eye contact with the troblin. A blush rose to his gaunt, angled cheeks, and he too didn't hold eye contact for very long, though he couldn't help but look at her when she wasn't looking at him.

"Aw, shucks," he said abashedly, glancing at the floor. "I've been called a lot of things, but never smart."

"Well, you are," she replied, blushing a little herself. Vida allowed herself a small grin at the obviously infatuated pair, but stepped forward with a serious demeanor.

"Phineas does make a good point," she admitted. "As much as I hate to say it, I think you're on." Leelee's grin widened. "But one wrong move and -"

"I know, I know," Leelee interrupted. "I'm out." Vida smiled slightly.

"Good to see you understand," she replied, adding with a wry smile, "Now, I think it's time to check up on Xander. I'm sure he's enjoying himself."

* * *

Xander wasn't having the greatest of days, not by a long shot. First the zit, then a tree, and now horns. Would it ever end?

He knew it was all to teach him a lesson, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Understanding and learning his lesson was one thing, but having to apply it in such an extreme fashion was a whole other story. To actually try to live his life in the human realm with these things was next to impossible. How could he fit in? How would he explain them? They were incredibly realistic to be just makeup effects, especially considering that he was just a high-schooler, and it was definitely too early to be Halloween. What would people say?

But why did that matter? He hardly knew the people he passed on the street every day. He had his friends and they understood what was going on. Everyone else didn't matter. He'd already found his place, so why did he need to care about what absolute strangers thought? Le them think he was some freak - he didn't care. He was a Power Ranger and a wizard - if that didn't already make him weird, then nothing would.

Empowered by the thoughts that he hoped would hold up in the human realm, he strode confidently through a tree and onto the street before the Rock Porium. If he was supposed to live his life normally, then he would.

Inside of his workplace, several customers milled about impatiently, all but jumping on him when they saw him pull on his purple work shirt.

"Where are the new ska CDs?"

"Is the new issue of Superman out yet?"

"Finally. I've been waiting for twenty minutes. I'd like to buy this album." He smiled at each one, taking the third's purchase from her hands and to the register, but still watching the other two.

"The new ska stuff is against the far wall, to the left of the death metal. Yes, we just got in the new issue of Superman. I just stocked it this morning," he said, addressing each person in turn. "And that'll be 15.11, miss." As the other two went to find their requests, the girl buying the album smiled, handing him a twenty.

"So where'd you get those nice looking horns?" she asked coyly.

He flashed her a cheesy smile and, not even stopping to think about what he was saying, replied, "Do you believe in magic?"

"Oh, so you're one of those types," she said with a small laugh. "Yeah, I do. Call me a dreamer, but I do believe in magic." The lights above them flickered a few times, giving him reason to smile.

"I think you have a spark of magic, too," he said. "And I got them from a magical being named Viscan, thank you very much." He had absolutely no idea why he was saying these things, but it was like his mouth and brain had become separated. These weren't the kind of things he should've been telling strangers, even if they did believe.

"Ah, creative. You really did put some thought into this whole set-up. So why'd he give them to you?"

"Call it a punishment. I was being a little vain, so I get turned into a tree, and then I get these. I guess it's better than spending eternity in the forest." Her mouth rounded in a shocked 'O', obviously a longtime Briarwood resident.

"You've been into the forest? You must really be magical."

"It's not as scary as people think. I mean, the Power Rangers go in there, so it can't be all bad, can it?"

"True. But the Power Rangers are... well, they're Power Rangers. They're more than your average human. They can probably take on whatever's in there."

"Touche," he replied with a grin, moving onto another topic that had piqued his interest. "So what exactly did you mean when you called me 'one of those types'?"

"Oh, you know," she said, like he was silly for asking. "Ever since that earthquake back in May when the Mystic Force showed up, a lot of people have started believing in magic and not just thinking that it's this big evil in the woods. Some say they can actually do magic now. I just meant that you were one of them."

"Is there something wrong with that?" he asked. "What's wrong with believing in something that's supposed to just be fantasy?"

"Oh, nothing. Like I said, I believe too. I just wanted to know. Those things could just be a bad segue to an even worse come-on, you know." He glanced up at his horns, realizing what she meant.

"Oh, no no no! It's not like that at all," he replied hurriedly. "Like I said, they're just a present from a magical being. His way of being funny." She smiled at him.

"I'll remember that if I ever start caring about my hair too much," she said. "But I have to go now. It was... interesting talking to you -" She paused, reading the embroidered name on his shirt. "- Xander. Maybe I'll see you around." Without a formal goodbye, she began to walk out, and he rushed around the corner of the counter to catch her, still not quite sure what about her made him tell the truth, even in a joking way, or what made him want to chase her down.

"Can I get your number or something? At least a name?" he asked, giving her reason to pause and look back at him.

"My name is Jeannette," she answered, smiling coyly. "See you around, Xander." She turned and once again began to leave, and he was about to follow her when a hand caught his shoulder.

"Hey man, can you help me?" asked the comic kid from earlier. "I can't decide between the new JLA or Superman."

"Sorry," Xander replied distractedly, looking back out the door for Jeannette, but he was met with nothing. Well, not exactly nothing per se, but you could hardly call the last wisps of her presence anything. He turned back to the customer and shook his head. "Umm, sorry, mate, but I don't really know. You should ask my friend Chip."

"Oh," the youth replied, a little let down. "Does he work here?"

"Yeah. Hopefully he'll be back soon," Xander quickly answered. "A question: did you see where the girl just went? The brunette?"

Taking a moment to think, he said, "I couldn't exactly tell. I wasn't really paying attention. Why?"

"Nothing," Xander said back, shaking his head. "Anyway, you need anything else?"

"No, I think I'll wait for this Chip guy. Thanks." He wandered away, leaving Xander with his thoughts. Just who was this Jeannette girl? Why was she so easygoing about magic? It would've been easy to say that she just assumed he was joking, but something in the back of his mind said that wasn't it.

And just why couldn't he get her off his mind? There was something intriguing about her wry smile as she teased him, the way she giggled when he talked about magic to her, like he was explaining the simplest of concepts to her. Without even realizing it, he hadn't payed a shred of attention to her looks. In retrospect, he could clearly see her brunette curls, the gleam in her pale green eyes, how her yellow and blue hoodie conformed nicely to her curvy figure, but at the time, he'd seen none of it. He'd been swept away by simply talking to her. It was strange, especially to a self-proclaimed ladies man such as himself. What was going on?

"I've got it!" Toby proclaimed, bursting out of his office and interrupting Xander's thoughts. The Green Wizard turned in time to find his boss grasping onto his shoulders excitedly. "Xander, thank god you're here! I figured out that puzzle you guys gave me! I want you all to be there when I open it." He paused momentarily, glancing up. "What's with the horns?"

Suddenly nervous and devoid of any good excuses, Xander too glanced up at them, stammering, "Oh, oh, these? Just playing around with some Halloween makeup." He smiled uneasily, and Toby gave him a look that said he didn't quite believe what his employee was telling him. Knowing that this could only get worse, Xander decided it was time to change the subject. "Anyway, do you want me to call the others?"

"No need," said a voice from the doorway. "We're already here." The Green Magician turned yet again, this time to see his quartet of friends arriving through the open entryway, Nick leading the way.

"Good, good," Toby nearly shouted in excitement, motioning enthusiastically toward his office. "Come on, come on, I need to show you guys how I did this before the clock ruins out. We only have a few more minutes." They herded into the small room with barely contained eagerness, not wanting to seem overly interested in what they claimed to be only a puzzle and not the legendary treasure that it really was. Each set of eyes darted quickly to the chest to assure that he hadn't opened it and already seen whatever magical prize rested within. That could lead to a lot of awkward explanations. He seemed to buy Xander's Halloween makeup excuse, but it was best not to push it in these kinds of situations. It was enough of a chance letting the Fire Heart be here, especially when Skullington could show up again at any time.

"So how'd you do it?" Chip asked, most interested as a puzzle solver himself. The man walked behind his desk where the ticking clock of the chest was, smiling a mad grin at his young employee.

"It wasn't actually that hard. You see, in the very beginning, I thought it was a pattern because of all of these little symbol buttons, you see?" He indicated the small circular buttons all across the surface, almost flush with the surrounding wood and connected by inlaid lines. Quickly pushing on, he started speaking again, a tinge of unhappiness with himself blended into his next sentence, bringing down his manic energy for a moment. "But that didn't get me anywhere. Then I thought each symbol meant something that would point me in the right direction, but I still didn't get anywhere. I've never seen any of these before, and neither has anyone on the internet, so I was back to square one.

"It took me another twenty minutes, but then it hit me: what it they were man-made sigils, the letters of a word put together to make one representative symbol? I tried that for a while, but I couldn't get any real words. It was a long shot, but I finally tried numbers after that. It took a while, but then I started to see a pattern: if you assigned each symbol a numerical value, since most are repeated, and then divided each one by pi, then it rounded out to the number given to one of the symbols attached to it by these little lines. I did the math until I got all the way to this one." He lightly touched a wooden circle that had only one connection. The teens looked to him expectantly, each nodding ever-so-slightly to urge him on. Nervously, not sure what would happen if he was wrong, he pushed it.

For a moment, everyone in the room held their breath, hoping the strange, sudden whirring noise was a good thing. The passing seconds seemed like hours, moving slower than they thought was possible. Finally, when it seemed to have built to an eternity, a clear ding filled the air and the latch popped up. The six occupants of the room simultaneously released their held breaths. Each teen looked to their boss with awe and gratitude, and he smiled back vaguely, eyes wide.

" I - I'm the greatest puzzle solver in the world," he said, equally amazed by himself. They gave him quiet, almost stunned, thanks, and moved in on the treasure. Each helped to pick it up, mostly relying on Xander but not wanting to make it seem too suspicious in case Toby had tried to pick it up on his own. As they maneuvered out of his office, the wild haired man followed, an expectant look on his face.

"Do I at least get to see what's inside it?" he asked hopefully. The Rangers paused, exchanging glances, but Xander already had it covered. He left the group, smiling a bit as they visibly sagged toward the floor without him, and ambled back to his boss as his friends moved on without him, actually having to put in some effort without him.

"It's a riddle, actually," he replied. "If a tree is stuck in a forest and a, uh, friend talks some sense into him, does the tree learn his lesson?" He grinned at himself, sharing an amused look with his friends, and then looked back to his boss. The man's brow was furrowed as he tried to process what his young employee had just said.

"A riddle? A tree in the forest?" he mumbled, barely coherent and staring at Xander blankly. His own words seemed to spawn a revelation in him, for his face suddenly lit up. "Oh, oh! A riddle!" He grinned at Xander for only a moment before sprinting into his office and sifting through his piles of notes hurriedly. Xander laughed and rejoined his friends, helping them with the heavy load.

The trip back to Root Core would've been uneventful if not for the dark purple, monster-spewing seal that appeared next to them just as they reached their chosen tree of transport. Out of it stepped Skullington, no foot soldiers to back him this time. For a moment, he stood in his place, enjoying the terrifying screams of civilians as they caught sight of him and ran, but he still sent the Mystic Force an ominous look as the last humans in the area disappeared into safer places. They didn't back down, glaring right back at him.

"What do you want, bonehead?" Vida snapped.

"Yeah. Did we not kick your butt hard enough last time?" asked Chip.

Ignoring their words, the monster only took a few quick steps closer. "Give me the Fire Heart," it demanded.

"How about no?" Nick retorted, hand on his morpher. "You ready, guys?" They all nodded, setting down the chest gently and removing their wands from their respective holsters.

"Magical source, Mystic Force!" they shouted, transforming through the light of individually colored spell seals. All except Xander, that is. As the others stood protectively around their treasure, Xander wearily glared at his open wand.

"Not now," he muttered. "Haven't I gone through enough today?" At the same moment that those words left his mouth, a wave of energy rippled over him, and suddenly his morphing problem seemed to be the least of his worries.

"Have you?" asked a voice from behind him. "Have I really put you through too much?" Not recognizing the voice, one both commanding and gentle, Xander turned toward him - it was a man talking, no doubt about it -, noticing as he moved how time around him seemed frozen. His friends were moving, but in the same way that the hour hand on a clock moved - so slightly that it was hardly noticeable.

Expecting some great being to be standing before him, Xander was surprised to see only a young man, maybe ten years older than himself with shaggy brown hair and glasses, his face neither dangerously gorgeous nor hideous, but strong, with prominent cheekbones and a soft smile on his lips.

"Are you saying that everything that happened to me today was your fault?" the Green Ranger queried. When the young man nodded, Xander shook his head. "No way. That's not possible. Unless you're..."

"Viscan?" the young man supplied with a grin. "In the flesh. And I prefer to think that I orchestrated what happened to you today to teach you a lesson. You make it sound like I did this all for a laugh." Xander gave the Titan a questioning arch of his eyebrows. "Okay, so I found it amusing, but it still had a purpose." He smiled, and noticed the odd scrutiny he seemed to be under. "Is there something wrong?"

Shaking his head, Xander replied, "Sorry, but you looked a lot different in the books."

"What, all tall and tree-ish? A guy can change his looks from time to time, can't he?" Viscan said, amused.

"I guess," Xander ceded. Looking at the brunet, it did seem to make sense. The guy exuded power, albeit a subtle power. Even without his lavish form, he seemed to be earth itself - ungodly strength hidden underneath a calm exterior.

"So, you're probably wondering why I'm here," Viscan said after a moment, breaking the young wizard's thoughts, "and you probably already know why after what you've gone through today."

"Oh, this?" Xander asked, touching a smooth horn lightly. "It's becoming frighteningly normal. First a tree, now your own little minotaur. What's next? A rock? Nymph, maybe?" Viscan stroked his stubble-lined chin thoughtfully.

"Both good ideas, actually. I think you'd look good in a dress made out of leaves." When he saw the Green Magician's horrified look, the Titan grinned. "Relax, I was just kidding. You _have_ gone through enough today, and I think you get my point."

"So you're going to take the horns away?" Xander asked, a twinge of eagerness to his words.

"Of course I am. I couldn't let you walk around with them forever. I will be keeping an eye on you, though, so behave, okay?" Xander nodded.

"What about this whole strength thing?" he asked, figuring he might as well since he had the chance. "Udonna said it was from you." Viscan smiled.

"She's a smart lady, that Udonna. Yeah, I'm to blame. Consider it a natural evolution of your powers. A bonus, even a gift, if you will, for doing such a great job on my behalf. Maybe it'll come in handy," he added with the glimmer of a wink. "So, anything else on your mind you'd like to ask about before I go back to my little plot in the sky?" Xander shook his head despite the nagging question in the back of his mind. "Good, then I've got to be going. Aerika says she has a really good story to tell, and she doesn't usually lie. See you later, Xander." He turned and began to disappear into a hazy green light, but Xander, mentally kicking himself even as he did so, grounded the magical being with a hand on the shoulder. The Titan turned around to look at his avatar once again. "Hmm?"

"I do have a question," Xander said, smiling apologetically. "And hopefully you can answer it. Why me?" Chuckling quietly, Viscan shook his head.

"You know, for a minute there, I could've sworn you were Tyrus, asking Levitas the same question almost twenty years ago when we first visited that lot." He smiled ruefully. "But you aren't. I've just got to remind myself that they died back in the war and move on, otherwise I'll end up being some crazy old Titan knighting squirrels." A short laugh, more of a snort, a nonverbal jibe at himself, left his lips, and he shook his head once again, looking up at his avatar. "So, why you? Why not you? I knew who you were before you were born, Xander, and I always knew that the darkness would resurface in your time. In all of the ages after I died, watching each person pass through life and seeing what they were like, I knew that you were the epitome of what I represented, the most perfect candidate to be my avatar, and I trusted Lady Fate to guide you to where you needed to be."

"So I never had a choice in any of this? I was destined to all of it before I was born?"

"You always had a choice, and time and time again you made the decisions that pulled you closer and closer to what you were meant to do. You're exactly where you're supposed to be because of the choices you've made. Destiny wasn't forcing you into anything; it was just the subconscious guidepost that told you which way was which, but let you decide what road to take. One little decision in the other direction could've put you in an entirely different place, but you always made the choices that brought you closer to what you were always meant to be.

"You were always the person it took to fulfill this destiny you've been handed, and never once did you waiver, even if it was hard. You never knew what you were meant for, and yet here you are, doing exactly what needs to be done, what you're supposed to be doing. You were born with the qualities that make you perfect for your role as a Green Magician, as the living embodiment of all nature in my wake. You've always been the right person for the job, and every action only makes that more clear to me. Why doubt what comes naturally to you? Who you are is who I chose, who I knew was born with what it took to face the darkness as my avatar. Magic has always been what you were made for. You all were." He motioned to the others behind Xander, all moving so impossibly slow that it almost seemed like a trick of his eyes. "You guys were never meant for normal human lives. You were always meant for more than school, college, then a nine-to-five job, marriage and two-point-five kids. You can save the world, you know." Xander nodded, exhaling quietly.

"I hope so," he murmured, perking up a bit, but not too much, as the words left his mouth. "We'll just have to see, won't we?"

"I trust you, and so do the other Ancients. We know you guys can do this." Xander shared a small smile with the being, appreciative of the support. "Don't ever doubt yourselves, because each of you was born with what you need for this path. You all have what you need to take down the darkness." The Titan gave a sad smile. "You guys can destroy Pravus once and for all." Attitude quickly changing, the sad smile turned into a more inviting playful grin. "Now, is that your only question, or do you have another one to spring on me before I get to leave?"

"Sorry. Can't say that I do."

"Good. Then I'm going to leave for real this time, if you don't mind."

"I don't." The Green Wizard grinned as Viscan rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. You don't know how much it means."

"A guy can use all of the support he can get during war. Believe me, I know." His gaze shifted to somewhere beyond Xander, even beyond this plane, for only a brief moment, eyes filled with the quiet remembrance of his days on Earth before they snapped sharply back to his young avatar. "Be good, Xander. Did you ever hear of Narcissus?" Xander nodded. "Well, he didn't get a second chance. You're getting yours, so do good with it. I'll be watching." Turning away, the being faded out in a haze of green light, time righting itself in the same moment. Xander, too, turned, facing his friends once again. A hand drifted to his forehead, reassuring that the horns had indeed disappeared, as the jingling ring of his phone floated to his ears. He reached for it quickly and flipped it open. A combination of numbers flashed a bright green, giving him reason to smile.

"New spell code," he murmured. "Sweet." He glanced up to the monster and his friends, smirking as they all gave him strange looks. "It'd be a shame to let it go to waste, now wouldn't it? Magical source, Mystic Force!" Through the light of a green seal emerged the Green Mystic Ranger, regular phone-wand still in hand. Not knowing what the spell would do, but trusting in his Titan, he confidently dialed in the three digit code. His wand dissipated into the ether, replaced by a red boxing glove on each hand. He stared at them in awe, then glanced up to the sky for a moment.

"Thanks, man," he whispered before sending the monster a level glare. "Did you really need to come back for more? You know you're just going to have your ass handed to you again."

"The Fire Heart will be mine, Ranger, no matter what weapons you use," Skullington growled at him. Hidiacs and Styxoids emerged from half a dozen spell seals around them. No need for words, the other four knew to move in on these easy pickings while Xander took on Skullington.

"Like the gloves?" he taunted, kissing each one and smirking under his helmet. "'Cause I guarantee that you won't by the time I'm through with you."

"Enough talk, Ranger. Surrender the Fire Heart to me now."

"Not a chance. It belongs to us."

"Not for long. Raagh!" He sent a sudden barrage of energy blasts at the Green Ranger, but the latter managed to leap out of the way in time. Front flipping toward the creature, his feet barely touched the ground for a second before he lunged forward, less aerially directed this time. A hint of green energy trailed from his red gloves, a stark contrast to his green attire, as he swung his right fist in a wide arc aimed directly at Skullington's head. It barely dodged the intentional shot, glove just grazing an exposed cheekbone instead. Thin fractures etched across the surface, showing the true force of the blow as a few more brittle pieces popped out and even punctured the grey, tightly drawn layer of what had been flesh underneath.

The shards flew predictably back into place as Xander skidded to a stop a few feet behind his opponent, back to the monstrosity. Trusting his every instinct and holding hesitation at bay, he whipped around in the same moment that the fiend did, ducking under a vicious swing of its barbed staff and delivering an equally savage blow to its gut. It barely reacted, again swinging its staff at the Green Wizard, who simply deflected the blows with his gloves. Xander twisted to avoid a throat slash, and the monster used the seconds it took him to go back into place to deliver a jab to the chest. The Green Ranger flew back a few feet, and when he got to his knees, the monster was already looming over him.

"Hello, foolish Ranger," it growled, preparing a downward attack. Seeing his opening, Xander made his move, sending a calculated uppercut to the creature's gut.

No time to stop the attack, it spiraled into the air, bones popping left and right. The handful that had survived followed their kin when Skullington's body hit the ground with sickening force nearly forty feet away, joining the others scattered on the ground. Xander was on him before he could even stand upright, delivering a harsh punch from above to shatter its spine. The hit did its job, dropping the monster back to the ground without the support.

The bones began weaving together again almost instantly, but that gave Xander enough time to jump back a dozen feet or so, knowing that this wasn't over yet. Grinning under his helmet, his punched his gloves together, the two halves of the Mystic symbol glowing now that they were complete. The golden light blended with the trails of green energy lacing his fists, and he rubbed the two gloves together as if to warm them up. Even fully upright now, it was too late for Skullington.

"Last chance," Xander stated. The monster stared him down defiantly.

"Never. The Fire Heart is mine," it retorted. The Green Ranger smirked.

"Have it your way. Mystic Force Fighters!" He struck downwards with tremendous strength, summoning the momentary glimpse of dark mountains surrounding just the two of them. The power of his punch created a deep fissure in the ground, bursting with green and gold light and making its way toward Skullington at a ludicrous speed. Fractions of a second later, the ground underneath him opened up, all the reserved light and energy shooting up and tearing him apart.

The mountainous world faded away, leaving the ground whole, the monster in pieces and Xander still unsatisfied. Knowing what was going to happen next and how to prevent it, he jumped to where the crystal skull was already glowing and demorphed.

"I think not," he murmured, snatching the floating crystal from the air before him and holding it between his powerful hands. "It's been real, but your time is up." Using his newfound strength, he applied all the pressure he could, shattering the skull into thousands of tiny red shards. Some pierced the softer skin of his hands, drawing small lines of blood, but that wasn't a problem to him. Nick could fix it later.

Looking up, he watched the scattered bones to ensure that his final touch had worked. Sure enough, none moved, quickly dissolving into black smoke along with the crystal fragments.

Having easily dispatched with the foot soldiers, the other four Rangers joined him, distracting him before he could see where the smoke went. It was best to keep on top of those kinds of things, just in case. Still, he turned to face them, smiling a bit. None of them bothered to demorph, both for lack of necessity and fear that civilians would begin stalking out of buildings once they noticed that the sounds of fighting had died away.

"Way to go, man," Nick said, patting his friend on the shoulder. Xander grinned back at him.

"Thanks," he replied, glancing to his hands and then to the Fire Heart. "Come on, let's get this thing back to Root Core before anyone else shows up." All nodding, they helped Xander carry the chest with the enhanced strength that Rangerdom offered so that he wouldn't hurt his hands any more than he had to. The quintet disappeared into a nearby tree in haste, destined for Root Core and anxious to finally see what this Fire Heart really was.

Unbeknownst to them, a single civilian had dared to watch the battle, perched on a step leading down into the Rock Porium and peering over the sidewalk that was almost level with his eyes. Everything had unfolded perfectly before him, no one realizing that he was there. The risk of watching from so close was overshadowed by the glee of just being so close to the legendary Power Rangers, and that was only enhanced when the Green Ranger had approached the levitating red skull. Grabbing from its spot midair, he had held it between his hands for only a moment before he was encased in a bright green light and Toby's stomach leapt into his throat as if plunging over a cliff. In that moment, he knew that what he was about to discover was something few non-Rangers ever had the privilege of knowing: the identity of one of the spandex-clad heroes.

As the light dissipated, only a brunet teen was left, clenching the skull tightly and destroying it with his bare hands. The onlooker's eyes grew wide, the feeling in his stomach almost like a black hole of excitement and disbelief as he recognized the Ranger as one of his very own employees.

Jaw hanging open and frozen in his place, a speechless Toby Slambrook could only stare as Xander and the four other Rangers disappeared into the large tree across from the shop. Well, at least he hadn't imagined people coming out of the trees.

Finally, minutes after he'd received the shock of his life, he managed to mutter, "I knew it."

* * *

Xander held his hands out in front of him, palms up. Nick winced as he saw the wounds, some encrusted in dried blood and a few still bleeding, and looked up at his friend.

"Did you really have to break it with your bare hands?" he asked. "Couldn't you at least have summoned some gloves or broken it with your axe or something?"

"I don't know a spell to summon magical crystal-proof gloves and destroying it with weapons didn't work," Xander replied, biting the inside of his cheek as Nick checked the cuts for anything still stuck in them. "Now, no offense, but can we hurry up? It does hurt, you know."

"Alright, alright," Nick muttered. He placed his open palms on top of Xander's, soft red light glowing between the two. When he lifted them away, the injuries were gone, though the dried trails of blood remained.

"Thanks mate," Xander said, rubbing his hands together gratefully. The pair joined their friends, gathered around the Fire Heart with Udonna, Leanbow and Clare, all anxious to see the contents.

"Are we prepared?" Leanbow asked, holding each side of the lid gingerly. "We have no idea what's in here."

"Let's do it," Maddie said.

"Yeah, we went through a lot to make sure we kept it," Vida added.

"You have no idea," Xander grumbled playfully, earning a jab in the ribs from the Pink Witch.

"Go for it, Dad," Nick said. The elder wizard smiled at his son, then at his wife, who nodded. Slowly, he lifted the lid, an easy enough task as it was only a fraction of the great weight, and peered in with the others. A few frowned, some smiled and the rest merely arched their eyebrows.

The long sought after Fire Heart, a powerful weapon that could tip the balance toward whatever side found it, was an egg. A majestic egg, yes, but an egg nonetheless. It was a vivid red, cracks lacing over it like spider webs of gold and blue gems embedded in its outer shell sporadically. The Fire Heart was a stunning sight to behold, but completely different from what they had been expecting. Chip was the first to speak, both interested and confused.

"An egg? The Fire Heart is an egg?" he asked incredulously. Udonna, gaze breaking away from the treasure, looked up at him.

"It is no ordinary egg, Chip. By the looks of it, we have in our possession a dragon egg." The Yellow Wizard's eyes lit up.

"A real dragon egg? Does this mean we'll have our own dragon?"

"It does," replied Udonna with a smile. "But more than that, we shall have a rare and powerful ally. Dragons, though once plentiful, are all but extinct now, and those that still live are fearful of humans. You see, long ago dragons were all around us, roaming the world freely and generally keeping to themselves. Some attacked humans and were killed, but for the most part they were reclusive and nonviolent creatures. A few magicians managed to tame them, bringing their destructive strength to that magician's cause. This practice became all too common, many either dying in captivity or in battle. The few that were left disappeared, and no dragons have been seen since then."

"Not on this side of the spectrum, maybe," Leanbow interjected, "but as a boy, I had the fortune of seeing one. A dark knight had captured one and forced it into submission, and when he wasn't off warring with the enemy, he trolled the countryside, displaying his power. He once came through my home village, destroying three homes with one blast as a display of the power of darkness. The dragon was a stunning sight, but the beast was broken, no longer the magnificent creature of legend. It took everything in me not to free it." He chuckled reminiscently. "One of my best memories of that dismal place, sadly."

"There is no mystery as to why the Fire Heart is so highly sought after. A dragon's power is not something to be trifled with. The side who raises this creature as its own has a great advantage, along with a devoted and loyal pet," Udonna imparted, adding to the awe they felt toward the unborn creature.

"So what do we do now?" Nick asked.

"I suppose we'll have to hatch it," Leanbow said. "But it will take much effort and devotion that I'm not sure any of you can provide while living away from here."

"I can do it," volunteered Clare. "I could use something to do around here besides read and practice spells." Her uncle arched an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? This is a great responsibility." She nodded.

"As long as you believe I can, then I'll do my best."

Smiling, Udonna added, "We do believe in you, Clare. You are a much stronger person than you believe you are." The apprentice blushed with the praise, still not accustomed to such accolades. A silence momentarily fell over the group, but, like almost every other instance of such, it was ended quickly, this time by Madison.

"Now that we have all of that settled, I think we ought to head back to town. Some of us still have work, and we all have school tomorrow." Collective groans came from the other teens, but she persisted. "I know, I know, but that doesn't make it go away."

"Maybe a little magic would," Nick suggested with a mischievous wiggle of his eyebrows. His shoulder hurt before he could see it coming, girlfriend glaring at him.

"Don't even think about it," she commanded. "That's definitely not how we're supposed to use our magic. We _are_ the good guys."

"I was just joking," he replied, holding up his hands in surrender, making her grin.

"You had better be, because I'm not above kicking your ass. Besides, I'm planning on having a great senior year, magic and monsters or not."

"Somehow I doubt it'll be uneventful," Vida replied. "Now come on. Toby is definitely wondering where we are now." They all gave general nods of agreement and began the trek back to Briarwood, Nick giving each of his parents a quick hug before leaving.

No matter what they thought the upcoming year was going to be like, Vida had one thing right: it would be far from uneventful.

* * *

_A/N_ - And so we wrap up the first arc of CoL. I have to say, I really enjoyed this three chapter set, especially Xander's talk with Leelee and his later one with Viscan. Hopefully this'll be a great start to an even better story.

One exciting little side note: I've been nominated for two awards in the January PRMF Awards, run by Rytanya. I'm up for Best AU and Best Author, both for Child of Darkness. Go vote, whether for me or anyone else. This could become something awesome.

One other comment, for Frog1: you know, I've never considered it that way. Silver and gold really do compliment each other well. I'll remember that in case that plotline comes to pass.

Okay, that's about all I have to say. My Gatekeeper arc is in progress, but don't expect it too soon. Play and SchoBo are crazy, not to mention that my brother has rediscovered computer games. I don't know when I'll be writing to you guys again, but until then!


	4. Chapter 4

"Ugh," was the first thing they heard Nick groan as he collapsed into his seat, lunch tray clattering down in front of him. "I swear, Applesauce is out to get me. I hate him, and I'm pretty sure he returns the sentiment." Xander, Chip, Vida and Madison, already sitting around the circular table with their lunches, gave him knowing smiles, and Maddie even rubbed his shoulder consolingly.

"Get used to it. The guy is a psychopath." Nick just shook his head and glared at a taco on his tray as if it were the man himself.

"He is beyond a psychopath. If he was any worse, I don't think there'd be any objections to us just morphing and blowing him up. Hell, I don't think half the staff would object if we did it right now." The others laughed knowingly, each envisioning their own version of the man being blown up by a combined attack or squished by one of them as a Titan, and happily went back to their food, moving onto a new subject. Of course, in reality the teacher's name was Applesauce, but Mr. Apisala. The former name was their idea of an affectionate nickname, though they knew that he hated it with a passion. That only made it more fun.

He taught a handful of science classes and each Ranger had the misfortune of having him once or twice over the years. This year it happened to be Nick and Xander, who shared fifth period Earth Science. To say that Mr. Apisala was a jerk was an understatement - if you didn't do exactly as he said and conformed to his rules, he instantly hated you. Getting onto his hate list wasn't hard, and it was something you could never escape.

"Aw, cheer up, mate," Xander said comfortingly, noticing his friend still dwelling on it. "At least we can gang up on him. He's hated me since day one, when he caught me talking to Chip and Maddie during one of his Biology lectures. You guys remember that?" He looked to the others, Chip smiling at the memory and Vida grinning, while Maddie was oddly quiet. "I swear he almost exploded. Threw a stapler across the room, if I remember correctly, and hasn't liked me since." The Green Magician glanced to Maddie, the only one not smiling at the story, for she was too absorbed by her bottle of water. She had one every day at lunch, saying it helped her to focus herself through the chaos that was their lives, and, though they understood this strange habit, she seemed more preoccupied by the liquid than usual. The other three, following Xander's line of vision, finally noticed her apparent mental absence, and Chip waved a hand in front of her face.

"Hello? Earth to Madison?" Still, she didn't respond, only gazing into her bottle as if the most enthralling thing she had ever seen resided within it. Nick was about to shake her shoulder when something else hit him - an unexpected mental draw from Maddie. Like he was trapped in a psychic whirlpool, he couldn't escape, pulled uncontrollably into her mind. A sharp driving pain shot across his own mind, accompanied by a succession of indiscernible images. He couldn't tell one from another, lost in the blur of colors and movements, and then he was shot back into his own head again, staring dazedly at his friends as they faded back into sight.

They, though, still seemed stuck on Madison, not even noticing Nick's momentary plight, and he too was soon drawn away from it by a derisive laughter floating his way, paired with words even less warm than the laughs.

"...and can you believe it? She actually has a boyfriend." This voice, so unfriendly away from her subject that Nick couldn't imagine speaking to her face to face, sounded distinctly feminine and all too stuck-up for his taste.

"It's that freak Nick Russell, right? Kid with the bike?" This second voice was a guy, and sounded disgustingly familiar, like the jock from his pre-calculus class that he wanted to punch so very badly. If it truly was him, then Nick already knew he despised the guy with all his heart and he was sliding closer to utter hatred with every word.

"Oh wow, him? He's actually a hottie. Hangs out with total freaks, and Xander, too, but he's still really sexy. Got this dark loner thing going on. How'd such a shy chick like her end up with someone so intense like him? He's way out of her league, and he's still close to the bottom of the barrel."

"Ah, the poor guy probably doesn't even know what she's like. I'll bet they'll break up in a week." The guy was much too cocky and desperately needed to be taken down a notch or two. It took all of Nick's restraint not to get up and make the guy bleed, but he had a feeling that it probably wouldn't be such a great idea just a few days into school.

Xander's surprised shout snapped the Red Wizard from his anger-resisting trance, startled enough to temporarily forget what had been said about he and Maddie. He looked to his right just in time to see the Green Magician's flaming burger hit his tray as the breeze picked up, sending the flames dancing higher. The trio of guys began to freak out, but Vida seemed to have joined her sister in staring. Her object of obsession, though, seemed beyond where they sat, and neither sister seemed aware of the problem.

Looking for a hasty solution that wouldn't involve his wand, Nick shook Maddie's shoulder. This seemed to snap her out of it, her eyes moving to the jumping flames consuming what had been Xander's hamburger.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking between the three panicking guys and her sister, murderous intent more intense than ever burning in her eyes.

"No time," Xander said hurriedly. "We have a little problem." He motioned to his lunch, still pleasantly alight and growing taller. Catching on quickly, a bit of the water from her bottle had splashed onto the tray before he could even blink, dousing the no longer miniature fire. Each of the friends that was actually aware of the situation breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. Vida, though, remained stiff and menacing, but the others let it go for the time being, each giving Nick their own questioning looks.

"What was that for?" Xander asked, giving his charred burger a sad, hungry glance. "I _was_ going to eat that."

"Aw, come on," Chip goaded with a grin. "Just think of it as char-grilled."

"Or charcoal," the Green Magician muttered. Again, he looked to Nick. "Was that you?" The young man, already cringing a bit, nodded slightly.

"I think," he admitted. "But I couldn't really help it. This guy was talking about Maddie and I just sort of lost control. At least I didn't knock him out like I wanted to. That would've been a lot worse than a burnt lunch."

"Maybe for you."

"...Sorry," Nick added apologetically, shrugging a bit sheepishly. "Sometimes it just happens. I can't really control it when I get pissed off." He nodded his head toward Vida, then to the leaves dancing in increasingly powerful wind. "Anyway, I think V heard it, too." They all looked to her now, following the almost tangible line of hatred across the outdoor lunchroom to a table occupied by, among others, a couple that seemed to be pressed from the stereotypical high school mold that they saw in movies. The girl had bleach blonde hair falling in immaculately styled layers and clothes that were barely there, revealing more than they needed to in the most impractical way possible. The guy next her was just as styled and perfect while still seeming like he wasn't trying at all, short brown hair that seemed due for a haircut and yet just the right length accenting his letterman jacket, which told enough of who he was without words. Four years of football, a quarterback no doubt, alongside four years of basketball, cross country and track, to list a few. Frighteningly perfect on the outside, but not without their personality flaws, and there was absolutely no doubt in Nick's mind that those flaws came in spades. The group they were apart of seemed to have moved the conversation elsewhere, but Xander, Maddie and Chip still rolled their eyes.

"That's Brittany and Kendall," Chip muttered. "They're jerks. Kendall tore my Batman poster in half last year, and Brittany just stood there and laughed."

"You know how there's always more to someone than what you see, the little things that actually make them tolerable people?" Xander added. "Well, not with them. Believe me, I used to hang out with them and there's nothing likable about them at all. In ten years, he'll be bagging groceries and crying because he never quite made it as a pro and she'll just be someone's alcoholic trophy wife."

"Harsh, aren't we?" Maddie teased, a joking smirk rising onto her lips as he arched an eyebrow at her, as if to ask if she was serious. "You know I'm joking, Xander. You have every right to be snippy with them after the things they put you through. I can't believe they still consider you a human being, unlike the rest of us below the popularity line." She gave them a wry smile and took Nick's right hand into her own. "Anyway, just ignore them. We all learn to tune them out eventually." He shook his head gently.

"I hope so," he grumbled, "because if I don't, I think he'll be in a body cast before he can graduate." The others grinned at such a lovely mental image, but the enjoyment of the moment quickly faded away as the still-growing power of the wind knocked over Maddie's bottle of water and Chip's Mountain Dew. Both freaked out, hastily grabbing their respective drink of choice before too much could spill out. To each, the drink was a comfort and to lose too much would be a mini-tragedy. They managed to save most of them, sopping up what had been lost with napkins as their attention turned to how rapidly the winds seemed to be picking up. Fitting the pieces together with barely a moment of thought, Chip shook Vida from her glaring session. Seeming dazed for a second, she pulled herself together and looked to the Yellow Ranger.

"What?" she asked, a bit more sharply than she intended.

"Just trying to prevent a tornado," the redhead replied, unapologetic attitude spawned from years of those kinds of reactions. She simply gave him a confused look, so he elaborated. "While you were busy wishing death on Kendall and Brittany, the wind was trying to kill us."

"Sorry," she apologized without much conviction. Her gaze turned quickly to her twin, moving the conversation away from herself. "What was wrong with you? You seemed extra interested in your water. Was it a...?"

"...A vision?" Madison supplanted, filling the void for her sister. "Yeah, I think so."

"What'd you see?"

Maddie began to answer, but Nick held up his hand to stop hee.

"Wait, wait. Visions?" he inquired. Neither Rocca seemed put off by the question, both nonplused, and even Chip and Xander seemed to know about it. Maddie just shrugged.

"Yeah, visions. I've been having them since I can remember, and they always come true. Like this time back when we were kids, I saw Vida breaking her arm falling from a tree. A week later, it happened. It's just another little fact that ties me to my element. I guess we're all pretty psychically inclined. Just like Yellows are good with potions, we're good at seeing the future, whether we want to or not." She smiled slightly. "It's not a burden, really. It's been happening to me my whole life; now it just makes more sense."

"Anyway," Vida said, moving on, "what'd you see?" Maddie's smile turned into a frown as her attention was brought back to the original subject.

"Nothing good," she said softly, trying to recall everything. "I saw the sky turn black, and then something rose out of the ground in the downtown area. After that it was just a bunch of flashes of us fighting and a girl in white and purple fighting another woman in black. It all felt really ominous."

"Sounds like something big is coming, then," Chip commented, expression touched with worry.

"And just when I thought we'd have another week or two of peace," Xander remarked, eating a french fry that had escaped the fire absently.

"There was that attack on the woodland village a couple days ago." Xander shook his head.

"That doesn't really count, though. I mean, it was just a few Hidiacs. We didn't even have to mor-" Vida quickly shushed him, sending an intense glare his way to tell him to shut up now or die. He relented to her, going back to simply eating the undamaged portions of his lunch as Nick chimed in.

"Either way, we need to tell Mom after school. She and Dad may know something"

"We definitely have to tell them. I've never had a vision that didn't come true, but I want to be prepared for this one. Things are going to get scary," Maddie said, a faraway look in her eyes, as if she could see it all happening again in the far-off hills the downtown rested on.

"You'll have to go without us. V and I have to work," said Xander. The Blue Witch nodded in understanding.

"That's okay," she replied. "I can't hang around too long, either. I have a shift from five until close."

"Mom wanted me to come over tonight, anyway, so I'll go with you, but I'll have to stay. She said Dad needed to talk to me about something," Nick added, not seeming too worried about his parents wanting to talk with him.

"I can go, too. I need to work on my potions," Chip appended. Nick nodded, each Ranger now accounted for in some way.

"It's settled, then. After school, the three of us will head to Root Core, ask about this whole bad omen thing and then split. Sound good?" They all gave general replies of assent, seeing nothing wrong with the idea, and went back to conversation pertaining to what they retained of a normal life. With the new normalcy of magic and monsters that was threatening to overtake the last vestiges of the normalcy most humans kept already taking up most of their short lunch period, they spent the remaining ten minutes eating, joking and complaining about the things any other teenager would. When the bell finally rang, they hastily threw away their garbage, grabbed their books and went off in their own directions. Each knew that, as horrid as a school day could be, even if it involved scaring the few still-nervous freshman, it was a blissful reprieve compared to what was going to come. The unknown is something that most every human fears, even if only on a subconscious level, and they all knew that the war would have pick up again eventually, but the few details Maddie had seen only made it a more frightening concept.

At the moment, though, the only fear they concentrated on was of homework.

* * *

He'd watched them so closely for the past week, trying to catch every minute detail. There were a few subtle things that he'd picked up on, both from the one he knew of and from the young man's friends. It was amazing to think that he hadn't seen it since the beginning, but then again, it wasn't as obvious then as it was now. After all, his subject was a teenager. They were notoriously flaky as it was, and they all had crazy new cell phones that he had trouble keeping up with nowadays.

To say the least, it had been a week of revelations for Toby. When the skeleton monster had attacked the Rangers outside of his store last week, he'd seen the whole thing right before his eyes, thinking of it as a chance to get a really good story to tell. The Power Rangers were legends across the globe. To have a team in your town was a huge honor, even if it did mean you were constantly being attacked by the forces of evil on a near-weekly basis. He'd also had his suspicions about their identities, but that wasn't the first thing on his mind so much as just seeing a piece of history. Seeing a battle up-close was a rare experience, and seeing a Ranger demorph even rarer still.

Of course, seeing one actually do the latter right before him had shaken him deeply. Standing before him had been his own employee, Xander Bly, destroying the red crystal skull that seemed to hold the monster together effortlessly with his own two hands and then running off with the other four Rangers. Though he'd always assumed that his employees had something to do with the Rangers, always disappearing when the monsters showed up, but the idea that one of them actually was a Ranger was hard to wrap his mind around. Sure, the thought had crossed his mind many a time, but they seemed too mythical to be anyone he knew.

Now that he did know, it made complete sense. Finding out that Xander was the Green Ranger had been the key to it all. He'd noticed how often Xander wore green, every day without fail for the past three months, and through that chain of thought, he'd drifted to his other employees. If he thought about it, there hadn't been a single day where each one of the five teens had been devoid of one certain color. Madison donned blue, Chip had Yellow, Xander obviously took green, Nick wore Red and Vida, most astonishingly of all after once proclaiming her hatred of the color, now had a sprinkling of pink in every outfit she wore. Even more, the five possessed identical golden cell phones unlike any he'd ever seen before.

In hindsight, it all made so much sense, and it gave him a grand feeling of accomplishment to know that, even if he hadn't outright known their identities, he'd had an inkling of awareness and had been right. All of it made sense - the disappearances, how tired they always seemed to be after these inappropriately timed 'lunch breaks', their sudden affiliation with one specific color. It was all glaringly obvious now, but it was easy to not have seen it before. All the little things were things he didn't notice day to day, and neither did the rest of the city, apparently. They were just sneaky enough to get by without being caught, except by a few individuals.

When he sat back and thought about it all, it was quite mind-blowing. His employees, the lazy, quirky teens he'd known for a few years now, were the Mystic Force, the Rangers that protected Briarwood and the world as a whole from whatever this new evil was. They risked their lives all the time and still managed to make it to work, even if they did have to shirk it from time to time. Saving the world was a valid excuse, even if he'd just found out a week ago.

Technically, of course, he only knew for sure that Xander was the Green Ranger, but the other four fit the same patterns. Knowing exactly what to look for really helped. Metaphorically, his eyes had been opened. Now he just needed a way to tell them that he knew without blatantly saying it.

"What's up, boss? You look dazed," came an accented voice from the doorway. Toby looked up rapidly, eyes falling on the speaker. Xander and Vida entered the shop, pulling on their work shirts as they did so. Not missing a day, Xander wore a green T-shirt while Vida donned a pink tank top under her black and silver one. Both teens smiled at him, and he smiled back, hoping his slightly dumbstruck look didn't reveal his true thoughts.

They didn't seem to notice, wandering to their individual spots before he could respond. As they went about their regular jobs, the ones that didn't involve fighting zombies (Toby knew a zombie when he saw one), he couldn't help but watch with awestruck intent. The Power Rangers were his employees. It was odd to think that they were just humans like him, and teenagers at that. They lived amongst other humans and were just like them, minus the Ranger powers. They did so much for the world and never asked for a bit of thanks, though there had been that parade back in the day.

He and his buddies had watched in raptly, both for the Rangers and their zords, and because of the chaos that had ensued. There was a good reason why no team had held a parade since. Their lives were on the line for people they didn't know already; they didn't need to throw another leader into the hordes of fangirls and declare that another was insane. Their lives were already chaotic enough, and they still managed to hold everything together. It was nothing short of a miracle that the Mystic Force still had a semblance of normalcy.

That led him to another question, though: if he could make their lives easier, would he? Would telling them he knew really make it easier for them, or would he just become a burden on them? Could he become a liability? He had read enough of the comics that came through the store to that the people who knew the heroes' secret was instantly in the line of fire. So would it be better to keep it to himself and be slightly safer, or admit that he knew and fall under their protection?

"You okay, boss?" Xander asked waving a hand in front of the man's face. He jumped to attention, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, me? Ye-yeah, I'm fine," he stuttered back, moving out of the way so his employee could help a customer. This small task only took a moment, Toby watching closely the whole time. Power Rangers. He employed the Power Rangers. He wondered if he should give them a raise.

Watching the young woman leave without his regular enthusiasm, which had been lacking for the past week or so, Xander turned to his boss again.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Just fine," Toby said, trying to muster some composure. "I'm worried about you guys, actually." The words were out of his mouth before he could think about them, and now he couldn't stop. "I mean, you're always running off, disappearing for hours, sometimes not even coming back. When you do, you're always so tired. You guys always look tired and beat up. And Nick - he just disappeared for a few weeks and then showed up again out of nowhere. What's going on with you guys?" In actuality, he knew what was going, for the most part, but some things he brought up were still enigmas to him. Mostly where Nick had really been - Toby wasn't sure he believed the visiting his biological parents story.

Xander exchanged a worried look with Vida, who seemed overly interested in this conversation. A good sign for his theory.

"Uh, you know..." Xander mumbled, chewing his lip, "usual stuff, I guess. I, uh, can't really..." Seeing her friend struggle, Vida hopped down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Weren't you supposed to call someone, Xander?" she said, raising her eyebrows when he looked to her. He caught on quickly.

"Oh - oh yeah! Uh, be right back, Tobes!" He rushed into the backroom, pulling out his phone as he did so. Vida glanced to the departing Green Wizard, then to her boss, smiling craftily.

"His mom worries," she explained, years of lying to explain where she had been now coming in handy. "She freaks out if he doesn't call after school." Toby nodded his head absently, and she hoped that she'd bought them enough time. This conversation was heading into dangerous territory, and they needed to find a way to save it now.

* * *

Walking into Root Core, the trio was met by only Clare, sitting at the main table with a book in front of her and the Fire Heart egg in the seat next to her. It wasn't near as heavy as the chest had been, and she could tote it around her home with only a bit of effort. Right now, though, she was studying the book intently, mouthing the words from time to time. From the look of it, it was a spellbook, and an old one at that.

"What are you doing?" Nick asked as he walked in, Madison and Chip right behind him. She looked up at her cousin, grinning slightly.

"Just studying. Aunt Udonna says I'm getting better, so she gave me this book of spells to read."

"Way to go," Madison said, smiling back at the blonde. "Do you know where she is? We need to talk to her about something."

"She's upstairs talking with Uncle Leanbow." She paused, expression becoming a bit more anxious. "Nothing bad happened, right?"

"Not yet," Maddie answered. "Hopefully we can prevent it." Clare let out a pent-up breath, grateful that, whatever the threat was, it was immediate. Living life so close to the heart of a war could really put someone on edge.

"So you think it'll be okay if we go to see them?" Nick asked.

"I don't see why not," she replied pleasantly.

"Thanks." He paused, then added cheerfully, "Good luck with your new spells." Both he and Maddie moved on, leaving Chip behind to remove a large cauldron from a built-in cabinet on his own and find the water for his potion's base. The couple shook their heads at the sight of their Yellow Magician friend trying to carry the cauldron, a decanter of water and a large book all at once to his workspace, continuing up the winding stairs. As they slipped into the first hallway, the one leading to a handful of bedrooms, some occupied and some not, and more stairs beyond that, Nick quickly about-faced and grabbed Maddie's arms, pulling them above her head as if she were a prisoner in shackles. She found herself suddenly pinned up against a wooden wall, held back by his body, and then she was lost, her lips meeting his in a burst of pent-up passion she hadn't known she'd been harboring.

What couldn't have a been a minute later, though she wasn't exactly keeping the time, a grinning and slightly dazed Maddie looked up at Nick as he leaned back from her a little bit, letting her arms drop as he wrapped his own around her waist. Without a thought, her arms were on his shoulders and she was asking, "What was that for? Not that I didn't like it or anything. It was just... out of the blue. " He grinned back at her.

"What? I can't just kiss you?"

"You can kiss me whenever you want," she answered foxily. "Now answer my question."

"Just thought I'd say goodbye. I don't know if I'll see you again tonight, and I'm sure your parents wouldn't appreciate if I just pop into your bedroom to say goodnight."

"Well, in that case..." Madison grinned and met his mouth with her own again. No longer caught off guard by such spontaneity from her, he smiled a bit and melted into it. His hands found their way up to her cheeks, thumb gently stroking one in an absent gesture. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling herself as close as she could and deepening the kiss.

Finally, they broke apart, if only out of the need for more oxygen. Both unable to stop grinning like the lovesick teenagers they were, they stepped back from each other to prevent another make-out session.

"See you later," Maddie said brightly, cheeks slightly flushed. Nick only smiled and led her by hand to one of the doors lining the hallway, a simple white snowflake overtop a flame painted on the door to give away just who it belonged to. He knocked a few times with his free hand, the door opening moments later.

"Hello, child," Udonna said when she saw the pair, opening the door wider. "Please, come in." The young couple entered the room, taking in everything around them. Nick had only been in here once before, a brief stop on the grand tour of the entire base, so he had only a vague idea of what it looked like, but Maddie had never been in there; in fact, this was only her second trip to the second floor. The first time had been on her own grand tour, given to her by Nick a week or so ago. The memory brought a slight flush to her cheeks, remembering exactly what had happened mid-tour. A lot of what had happened afterwards was lost in the haze, but she remembered everything minute detail of what had occurred here on the second floor. How Nick's hair looked under the magically produced luminescence of every room, how warm and inviting his room had seemed as he showed her around it, how soft his red comforter was against her back as he pinned her to the mattress with his body, attached to her at the lips, the sound of the door swinging shut on his command, how reluctant he had been to go too far too fast, the perfect gentleman even as she tore his shirt off...

It was all perfectly ingrained in her memory, the entire little jaunt of making out and just barely more, hardly enough to be called anything more, really, and the rest of the tour be damned. She knew enough about the layout to know that it was just as big inside as it looked outside. The two floors she could remember were barely the tip of the iceberg, but they held some of the most frequently used rooms.

Udonna and Leanbow's room, of course, was larger than Nick's, having been designed for two people instead of one. A large king-sized bed stuck out perpendicular from the wall opposite the door, matching night stands flanking each side and a dresser against the wall the door was apart of. Various trinkets lined the walls, mementos of years past and battle fought, giving it a very lived-in, magical feeling. Inside, Leanbow sat on a large chair in the corner, smiling at them.

"Hello Nick, Madison," he greeted heartily. "What brings both of you here?" Madison's smile drooped a bit, the reason that she too was here a less than pleasant thought.

"I kind of had a vision at lunch today," she admitted. The married couple both looked instantly worried, knowing that uncalled for visions were hardly ever a good thing.

"What did you see?" Udonna inquired.

"All kinds of things. There was a woman in black leather, and another girl in white and purple robes, and then there were some flashes of us fighting. That part was a little too fast for me to see the details, but I could tell that this wasn't anything good, that's for sure." Udonna frowned.

"This is quite troubling. Tell me, do you have these sorts of visions often?"

"Not all of the time, but I have been having them my whole life. They've never been this frightening, though."

"I'm afraid, then, that we must fear for the worst. With no large-scale attacks by the darkness as of recently, they may very well be planning one now. Come, we must discuss this in more detail and let our men talk more privately." The mentor led her young charge out of the room, forehead creased with worry as they left. Only Nick and Leanbow were left in the room, distracted for a moment by the women leaving before they got down to business.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" the Red Wizard asked, turning to his father when the women were out of sight. The elder man too glanced away from the doorway, the hint of a smile on his lips.

"I've been talking to your mother about what happened during my time as Koragg." Nick winced slightly, knowing this was a touchy subject, and he could hear his father's reluctance to say that name. "Particularly about when both you and I were down there. According to what she has told me, I began to train you as a knight. Is that true?"

"Yeah." While his father could remember nothing of his almost twenty years in the Underworld, Nick remembered every moment of his in concise detail, especially the training. It had hurt. A lot.

"But you have no formal training here?"

"No."

"Tell me, how far did this training extend? I realize that we were only down there for a few weeks, but dark training is an intense thing." No disputing that.

"It was mostly offensive stuff. Sword techniques, the best way to hinder your opponent, when to attack and when to hold back. You know, fighting with honor, but not above playing a little rough. You did teach me how to block a Wolf Attack, though." Leanbow furrowed his brow, and Nick realized that his father had no clue what a Wolf Attack was. "It was this really powerful energy attack that came out of your shield. Hurts like Hell, especially unmorphed. Didn't take me too long to master deflecting it, though, not when you kept pushing me to keep going. You were persistent, that's for sure." Leanbow chuckled lightly to himself.

"At least some things don't change," he muttered, shaking his head. "I am sorry, though. That form of training is a harsh way to learn, and no one should go through it."

"Don't worry about it. I may have been myself, sort of, but you definitely weren't. It wasn't your fault."

"Sometimes I wonder." Staring at the floor, lost in disgust for what he had done, he suddenly perked up, turning on an emotional dime. "As it is, how would you feel about beginning to train here?" Nick raised his eyebrows.

"As a knight?" His father nodded. "Of course." There was no hesitation in his answer, only the eagerness to do so. To become a knight wasn't something he'd fantasized about as a kid, but he knew now that he wanted this, to better protect his family and both worlds that he called home. He was sure that they hadn't seen the worst this war had to offer yet, and anything he could do to defend them from that was no question. Besides, he'd always had a thing for fighting, even if it was going to be with weapons now and not the simple combat techniques they'd learned over the past few months or fist-fighting like he'd done in school fights. The idea of sword fighting one-on-one with his father in a friendly setting was something of a relief, too, after all the months of fighting him for real.

"I must warn you, I'm not an easy teacher. If Daggeron and Calindor were still around, I'm certain they would tell you the same thing."

"I'll survive. You can't be any harsher than Koragg." Noticing once again his father's uneasiness and realizing his mistake, Nick quickly changed the subject. "So when do we begin?"

"As soon as possible. Traditionally, this training begins at the age of thirteen, but we must make do with what we are presented with. When will you be able to train?"

"I have school during the week, at least during the day, and I have to work some nights and on weekends, but I am free tonight." Leanbow smiled, a devious edge to the expression.

"Good. Then we can begin right away." He stood up, summoning a large spiked sword with one hand and teleporting them outside with the other. Not missing a beat, Nick called for his own Magi Staff sword, still longer and slightly broader as it had become during his time in the Underworld, and took a defensive stance opposite his father.

"Are you ready?" the elder man questioned, swinging his sword around experimentally. While it felt right in his hands, he hadn't fought with one for nearly twenty years, not as Leanbow. He was at least thankful that as Koragg he had kept up his training, keeping him as fit and ready with a sword as he had been all those years ago, even on a subconscious level.

"Do you even have to ask?" Nick retorted. He too examined his sword, making sure that its size remained the same. It had shrunk a bit since his arrival back from the Underworld, but still remained a longer a broader than it had originally been. He'd learned to adapt to it changing fairly quickly, and now he was hoping it would stay one size. Adjusting to a 'new' weapon every time he fought was an annoyance that he preferred to avoid. "Now come on. Show me what you've got."

"If you insist." In the blink of an eye, they were at it, the clash of swords reverberating between the trees. Nick was barely able to keep up; though it had been years since Leanbow himself had picked up a sword and Nick had been fighting constantly for the past few months, the former Red Mystic Warrior was more than formidable. It was nod doubt that Koragg had kept in brilliant shape, as there was probably nothing better to do when you were trapped in the Underworld, and it was carrying over to Leanbow now.

Though he put forth an outstanding effort and even managed to land a few soft blows, Nick found himself on the ground staring up the edge of his father's sword before too long. Leanbow grinned and stuck his sword into the ground next to them.

"Here," he said, offering a hand to his son. The boy took it, pulling himself up.

"Thanks," he replied, rubbing one of his multitudes of sore spots. "Guess I'm not quite as good as I thought I was."

"Only for now. With time you will become better. Right now you are strong, but you lack direction and attention to the details. We need to focus on more than just brawn." Pulling his sword back out of the ground, the elder man smiled. "Ready to try again?" Nodding readily, Nick let out the barely audible breath he hadn't known he'd been holding when his phone chimed. He snatched it out of his leather holster and gave his father an apologetic look.

"Sorry. Ranger-only line. Gotta take this." The other wizard nodded in understanding, allowing his son to flip open his phone and enter the open line. "What's up, guys?"

"We have a situation," stated Xander's shaky voice.

"Is something attacking the city?" he could hear Chip ask.

"No. We could deal with something like that. This is something way worse," the Green Wizard responded, panic increasingly obvious in his voice.

"What's going on, Xander? Is everyone okay?" Maddie asked. After the incident with Necrolai, Maddie had the constant worry in her mind that something bad would happen to her sister, whether the idea was baseless or not. Overprotectiveness was a two-way street with them.

They could hear someone take a few long, calming breaths, and then Xander answered, "I - I think Toby knows. At least, he's putting the pieces together. He was asking these questions about where we go and why we always come back tired. He even mentioned Nick's 'disappearance.'" Inwardly, the Red Ranger sighed. His 'disappearance', otherwise known as his time in the Underworld, had been hard to explain to his boss, both for his friends originally and for himself when he came back. Up and leaving for a few weeks, no notice whatsoever, was something that most bosses wouldn't take lightly, but Toby seemed to buy his excuse that it had been a now or never chance to meet his birth parents. Now it was obvious just how much the older man had believed that lie. His little day trip to the surface had also detracted from the credibility of his story, but that had been the least of his troubles when he'd gotten around to Gracey on the explanation-wagon. She'd been the toughest to convince, but in the end she'd bought it, or so he thought. Now he was questioning whether she even believed him or not. That could get interesting.

"...Nick?" asked Madison, breaking off his train of thought. "Did you hear what I said?" He mentally kicked himself for drifting away from the topic. That was usually Chip's area.

"Sorry. I was spacing," he replied, and the rolling of her eyes was almost audible. "What did you say?"

"I said that I think we should just tell him. After all the weirdness we've put him through in the past few months, not to mention bailing on him all the time, he deserves to know. Don't you think so?"

"Completely. We could do it tomorrow, if he'll wait. We all have shifts then, and I think we should all be there when we tell him."

"Sounds good to me," Chip said.

"Then it's a plan," Maddie stated.

"But what do I tell him right now?" Xander asked, sounding less worried, but not by much.

"Just tell him that we'll explain everything tomorrow," answered Chip.

"That sound's good, I guess." Xander paused to glance over his shoulder, though the others couldn't see this. "I gotta go now. I've been gone for too long. See ya." The faint click of Xander leaving the line was heard a moment later.

"I have to go, too," Maddie added a second later. "I have to get back to my explanation and then go to work."

"I have to get back to my potion. If I let it simmer for too long, it could turn into something bad," Chip said. "Later." He too clicked out, leaving only Nick and Maddie on the line.

"See you later," the latter said. "Try not to train too hard." Nick raised a confused eyebrow.

"How'd you know?"

"Udonna told me that Leanbow was going to talk to you about that. Besides," she added, and he could almost hear her smile, "we can hear you from in here. Swords clashing isn't exactly an inconspicuous sound." He smiled too. "Anyway, bye."

"Bye," was all he could manage before she was gone. He flipped his phone shut, disengaging the connection entirely. Turning back to his father, he placed the device back in its holster.

"Now, where were we?" Nick asked. Leanbow readied his sword once again, smirking a bit.

"We were around the point where we were going to fight and I was going to win again."

"Oh, is that right? I beg to differ."

"Cocky, aren't we? Very much the Red, just like your old man. We'll see how long that lasts." The knight lunged, swinging his blade in such a swift arc that Nick could hardly react, moving his head just quickly enough that the tip only nicked his cheek. One hand came off his sword and went to his cheek, the other still wholeheartedly parrying blows with his father. He could feel a thin line of blood and the sharp ricochet of pain streak across his face as his fingertip touched the small wound. When he realized Nick was distracted, Leanbow stopped fighting and stuck his sword back into the ground.

"Are you okay, boy? I tried not to make the blow too severe." Seeming dazed for a second, Nick regained himself and glanced to the older man.

"I'm fine. I'll just have Mom put a salve on it later."

"You can't just heal it yourself?"

"No," Nick replied, adding with a small grin, "Believe me, I've tried. All part of the package, I guess. I can heal everyone else, but not myself. Makes sense. If I could heal myself, I could just charge into a fight without Ranger powers and not worry about dying. This way, I have to train and be better, become a true Legendary Warrior." Inwardly surprised by his son's words, Leanbow flashed a proud smile and ambled over to the boy, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"There's hope for you yet, boy," he laughed. "Ignos chose well."

"I hope so," Nick replied, half serious. He knew that each Ranger, to some extent, doubted their qualifications for the roles they had been put into. In the end, though, they all knew that they were the best for the job. This was what they were meant to do.

"No time for doubts, son," Leanbow said, snapping Nick away from his short train of thought. "A leader should never second guess himself or his decisions. Save that until after the battle, at least. Now, take up a defensive stance. I want you to deflect my swing." Nick did as told, though he gave his father a questioning look.

"What are we doing now?" he asked, wary of any slight movements his father made.

"Koragg wasn't the best of teachers. You are quite strong, but you are lacking in other areas. We must work on your agility and forethought if you want to use your strength properly. Now, are you ready?" Nick nodded and, barely enough time to think, a flash of silver darted across his line of vision. His gut told him to protect his legs, but his brain said otherwise, guarding his torso instead as the angle of the swing seemed to be headed that way. Pain erupted from his right hip a fraction of a second later, a shallow gash dripping blood onto his black pants. Instantly, his stance was gone, favoring a gentle amount of pressure the wounded leg and a glance to his father.

"Why do I have the feeling that this is the first of many?" he asked, voice twinged by irritation as he nodded to the fresh wound. Leanbow grinned.

"I told you that this training is not easy. Wounds are commonplace, but you will become accustomed to them." His expression turned more serious, going into master and apprentice mode. "Trust your gut instinct. As both a leader and a Red Wizard, you should let it guide you in battle. It is a well-honed tool to any Red worth their mettle. Take up your stance. We're going to try this again." Doing as he was instructed, Nick let out a quiet sigh. Right now, his gut was telling him one thing, that was that tonight was going to be a long night.

* * *

Closing his phone with a sigh, Xander's mind was already racing. They were going to tell Toby everything. Well, tomorrow. They planned to tell him tomorrow. Right now, it was his job to hold off their boss until tomorrow. Great.

Accepting his fate, he headed back to the store front where Toby and Vida still stood in relative silence. The latter perked up when she saw him, standing up from her relaxed position against a shelf of CDs.

"So what'd she say?" the Pink Witch asked, a little too perky to be normal. It took him a moment to figure out what she meant, but then Xander smiled.

"Oh, just that she's happy I'm not dead in a ditch somewhere. Never know these days with monster attacks and all," he responded, turning to look at his boss. "I can't answer your questions right now, Tobes, but tomorrow I can explain everything." Vida's eyes widened, not realizing what the rest had agreed on, and she grabbed his arm.

"What?" she asked sharply, turning him forcibly back toward her. Seeing the fear in Xander's eyes, Toby slipped away so the young man could try to stammer out an answer in private. For now, he was happy with what he'd heard. They'd tell him everything tomorrow, and then he too would come clean. He couldn't wait.

* * *

The Underworld could be a startlingly quiet place, as Morticon had discovered. Without the presence of Necrolai or Koragg, there was no one to scheme with, no creature strong enough to spar with. Hidiacs were a joke and Styxoids, though they could think and speak, had no knowledge or skill with military strategy. It was almost painful to admit, but without Koragg to fight with over honor and Necrolai constantly playing both sides, life had become much more boring. Even the strange being that was his new master had been elsewhere, doing whatever he did when he wasn't guiding the forces of darkness. He hadn't even come back when Skullington had been destroyed. The cyborg had been fully prepared for punishment, but it never came. No, only the silence. For a time he questioned why there had been no punishment, but quickly let it go, knowing it was better not the question the motives of a being who could kill you with his will alone.

That left him alone once again, only the ever-fading thrill of killing a Hidiac or two when he was bored left to sustain him. From here, he had no idea where to go. The Mystic Force seemed stronger every day, while his forces were dwindling. It was beginning to seem hopeless.

_I wouldn't say hopeless quite yet,_ came the voice of his nameless master. Though he wondered if it really did have a name, that was another thing he didn't question. Instead, the general perked up, rising from his throne.

"What do you mean, master?" he rumbled into the empty cavern. The echoes of laughter resounded in his mind.

_I mean that not all of your allies are lost,_ he replied. _So do not despair too soon. Our victory is still ensured, just not as soon as we'd wished. Our chances have just improved, though, for an old ally is finally able to join our ranks once again._

"Again? Who do you speak of, master?"

_You shall see._ These three simple words seemed to evoke something, for a dark spell seal opened up on the stony floor, spewing a dark black smoke. It rose in tight coils from the seal, held in a vague form by some invisible force. A smoky figure began to emerge, increasingly feminine as the smoke wove tighter and tighter together. Sharp, pale cheekbones emerged first, and a similar face followed, with shoulder length black hair, full lips in bright red lipstick, a sharp contrast to her ghostly skin, and, most dazzlingly of all, inhuman violet eyes. A complete body shortly followed, long, lithe and lightly muscled, and clad entirely in black leather. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the rocky surroundings. Morticon was not impressed.

"Who is this human wench that you place in my sight?" A sharp pain threatened to render his skull in half, and through it he could barely hear sadistic chuckling.

_Don't forget your place, Morticon. She is no ordinary human._

"That's right, Morty," the woman said, voice registering in his mind as she sauntered over to him. "My work is far from done, and yet you forget me so easily."

"The Yellow Wizard killed you," Morticon stated, a tad bit confused. The woman cackled harshly, the sound high and grating, as nails on a chalkboard would be if Morticon had ever heard the sound.

"You know nothing stays dead for long with dark magic, don't you?" she said. "Especially when the deceased has a vendetta and powerful allies." One of her black fingernails, filed to a point, ran the rough length of his jaw. "My daughter has taken my power and my position and turned against her roots. She has forsaken me for our enemies, my killers, and left me with nothing. Revenge must be sought. Death has no place for me yet."

"But what can you do without your powers, hag?" he sneered, brushing away her cold touch. Unfazed by his rudeness, she gave him a toothy smirk.

"I am human now, you fool. I have magic."

"And what use is that to us? Humans are weak and vulnerable."

"But I can blend in with them now, as my daughter once did. They will not know that I am amongst them." This made the general pause, only now realizing her changed use. The unseen being's ethereal smile echoed between them.

_Good, good, _he said, _we understand. Now, we must proceed with our plans. Necrolai, locate the Oracle. He will show us the proper action to take._

"As you command," replied the reborn villainess. "_Uthe sastos_." She vanished into a dark purple seal, one to match her eyes, and once again leaving Morticon alone, now with a strange feeling. Something about this didn't sit well with him.

* * *

Leaning back in her chair, Clare let out a small sigh as Madison left. Chip had moved his potion to an upper balcony a while ago, claiming it needed fresh air, and that left just the three women in the room. Now, with Madison gone, Clare was thinking. As much as she liked being apart of the team, sometimes she felt useless. Sure, she was taking care of the Fire Heart now, but compared to everyone else, that was hardly anything. Madison could see the future, Chip was becoming a potion master, Xander was finally warming up to botany, Vida was simply a force to be reckoned with and Nick was the Light. In their shadows, she was just the apprentice who could hardly get her spells right.

Distantly, she could hear her uncle Leanbow training Nick, and again she sighed. He was going to become a knight, and where was she headed? To become a sorceress - in eighty years, maybe. It seemed like everyone else was moving so much quicker than she was - she'd been training since she was five, and they'd only been training for a few months, but they seemed light-years ahead of her. Heck, she didn't even get a wand. Sure, it was better to be able to do magic without any tool, as they were usually just conduits to focus a magician's power, but a wand of your own, like the Ranger's original wooden ones, was a sign of respect. Wands came to their owner when the time was right, and the wand always chose the owner. When a wand came to you, you knew you were ready for bigger things.

The Rangers hadn't even learned how to use spells without wands, but she could understand why. They'd been thrust into a war with no previous knowledge or preparation, and had to be at their best almost instantly. The basics had to be skipped over in favor of fighting techniques and more advanced study. Only now, as they grew stronger, were they learning of the more basic things, like their branch's specific skills and the Ancients. They could even use their magic without wands on occasion. Nick had done this quite a few times, albeit with the same spell or its variations for the most part.

It was a difficult situation they had been put into, and nothing ever became easier, not for long. If what Madison had seen was real, then it was only going to get worse soon.

"What is troubling you, child?" Udonna asked, breaking her niece's thoughts as she sprinkled some herbs into a small cauldron. The blonde turned to look at her aunt.

"What makes you think that something is troubling me?" she asked back. Udonna just shook her head.

"It was just the look in your eyes. You seemed... sad."

"It's nothing," the apprentice said, pausing. A moment later, she looked up nervously. "It's just... Where do I fit in here? Everyone else has a purpose, the ability to fight for us, but I'm just the sorceress-in-training who can't do anything right. I just get in the way. The Rangers are the avatars of the Ancients, Leelee is the Queen of the Vampires, you and uncle Leanbow powerful magicians - I mean, you guys are training the legendary Mystic Force! Even Phineas is a great fighter. What am I? The person on the sidelines, a dragon-sitter. At this rate, I'll never live up to my mother's legacy." Udonna smiled sadly at the mention of her sister and left the side of her brew, placing a comforting hand on the young woman's shoulder.

"Dear child, the only legacy you have to live up to is your own. You are not your mother."

"But I'm the heir to her power How can I be a Gatekeeper if I can't even get my spells right?" Surprisingly, Udonna only laughed quietly, and Clare narrowed her eyes confusedly at the woman. "This isn't funny. How can I defend the Gates if I can barely use simple magic like invisibility spells, let alone master them?" Her aunt simply shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but you sounded so much like your mother. She was afraid she would never be good enough as a Gatekeeper, either."

"But I thought she was a great sorceress," Clare said, arching a puzzled eyebrow.

"Oh, she was," Udonna replied, making Clare feel put out for a second until she added, "After much training, that is. I can't remember how many times she blew up our cottage because of a spell gone awry. You should count yourself lucky that your mishaps have not gone so terribly wrong." Clare let out a small smile, amused by the idea of her mother, revered as a great sorceress, being just as bumbling as she was, if not more. Somehow, it made her feel closer to her mother. "You see, there is a place for you here. When your time comes, you will be ready. I think you have progressed beautifully already. The presence of other magicians seems to do well for you." She nodded.

"Yeah. It's nice to have more people around. Not that you're not great, but for a long time it was just us. I like having Uncle Leanbow back, and it's strange to see Nick again after all these years. I guess just being apart of the Mystic Force is pretty cool. I am apart of the team, helpful or not. I just wish I could be out there fighting with them. They're out there protecting all of us, and I'm here trying to get a simple spell right."

"Child, your time will come. Enjoy your peace while you have it, for joining the fight is much easier than leaving it. It is a large responsibility to defend two worlds, and even more so as the Gatekeeper. You are the only thing between the Underworld and the surface, and once in the fight, you will be a constant target." Clare nodded solemnly.

"I know the risks, and I'm ready to face them when the time comes. I just hope I can do my job right without messing up."

"I have faith in you, Clare," Udonna replied, smiling. "Now, in light of everything I have learned today, I believe it is time you and I discussed a related subject: your magical branch." Clare seemed puzzled.

"I thought we'd already talked about this. I want to be a White Magician, like you."

"But I believe that it is not the right path for you. It is not your true element."

"Then what is?" the blonde asked, only becoming more confused.

"Dear Clare, if you truly are the heir to the Gatekeeper powers, then your place is not with the snow and the ice, but under the moon." Cocking her head, Clare frowned at her aunt.

"So why would you not tell me this? Why would you let me go down this path if it wasn't the right one? You never told me that Gatekeeper had to practice moon magic." Her words were tinged with anger, a tone rarely heard in her usually jovial voice.

"I let you take it because it was your choice to do so, and I wanted to give you that freedom for as long as I could. You would've found your true path in due time. I didn't want to force you into anything, as your mother was forced into her branch. Make no mistakes; she loved it dearly and felt right with it, but she was never given a chance to find it on her own. I didn't want that to happen to you."

"So why tell me now?" This question, softer than the girl's previous words, served only to make her aunt and mentor seem sadder.

"Because I fear I may have been wrong. The darkness may be seeking you out before you come into your power on your own. I'm afraid we may not have enough time." This conversation had become much different from how Clare had imagined it, and Udonna's words were hitting her hard.

"Wait, wait - what? The darkness is looking for me? Why don't we have enough time?" she asked, everything too jumbled in her mind to make cohesive sense of.

"We do not know that the darkness is looking for you, but it is highly plausible. In Madison's vision, she saw two women fighting, one in purple and white robes. If what she sees is the future, and I have no doubt that it is, then this young woman is you, as the Gatekeeper."

"And why don't we have enough time?"

"I trust Madison's divination abilities, and she believes that this event will happen soon. If so, then I may not have enough time to teach you the rudimentary lunar magic and basic skills needed to defend the Gates. We may be in great trouble." Bowing her head, Clare was amazed at how grave her aunt sounded. This really was a more serious situation than she thought. Not willing to cede to loss that quickly, she sat up straighter and gave a small smile.

"I'm a fast learner," she said, "even if I can't actually do it right." Looking into her young apprentice's eyes, Udonna saw determination alongside apprehension, and smiled.

"Very well then. Though learning a new branch is difficult if you've already learned another, to be in your proper element will make it much easier. I must warn you ahead of time that I am by far no expert in moon magic. Most of what I know was picked up from your mother or a book. Much of this you must discover on your own, through both reading and training." Clare nodded.

"I understand. It's a path that hardly anyone takes, so it's more of a 'teach yourself' thing than a 'get taught by someone else who's already mastered it' thing. I'll survive."

"Good. Your confidence will help you learn. Now, we must begin right away. The darkness may attack at any time and you must be as ready as possible." Though she was afraid, Clare still kept a small smile.

"Where do we begin?" She received no answer, as Udonna was already across the room, scouring the many bookshelves for the proper tomes. Several came into her arms, but from the titles, Clare could tell that none were exactly what Udonna was looking for. After less than a minute of searching, her aunt seemed to find it, pulling out a purple-bound book with silver letters etched onto the surface. It looked old beyond belief, and yet completely undamaged by the tolls of time.

"What's that one?" Clare asked, transfixed by how pretty it was. Her mentor came back to the table with a smile, setting the few books down before the younger woman.

"One of the oldest books we keep here. It is the only book dedicated entirely to moon magic and one of a kind. It has been given to each Gatekeeper through the ages by Luria herself, but she allowed me to keep it for you after your mother's passing. It is yours now, a repository for everything you develop on your own and what Gatekeeper's before you learned. I can teach you only as much as I know, and this book can fill in the other voids. Someday, when you feel you are ready, you too may put your knowledge and experiences in it." The blonde looked at it with awestruck reverence. This had existed for hundreds of years, passed through the hands of so many women - Gatekeepers were only women, as Solaris Knights were only men - and now it was hers. Udonna was finished, though, approaching a locked cabinet as Clare gingerly opened the cover.

"There is one more thing I must give you now," she said. Attention drawn away from the book, Clare caught sight of a purple something, but Udonna pulled it close to her body quickly, as if it her a long-lost family member. "Usually, I would wait until a later time in your training, but as with the Rangers, time is something we do not have and you must be at your best quickly." The white-clad woman walked back to her niece, holding something with both hands before her. "This too was your mother's. She made it herself, as the other Mystic Warriors did, and she wanted you to have it when her time was done." Clare looked to it, eyes widening. It was a long, slender wooden wand, tipped with a lavender crystal in the shape of a crescent moon. It was beautiful, and she could only stare in awe as Udonna smiled. "Will you take it, child? It is yours now." Snapping out of her daze, Clare raised her eyebrows excitedly.

"Really?" she asked. Udonna only nodded in response, and, very gently, Clare took it into her own hands. It was so light and yet so heavy, years of built-up magic coating it. She could hardly believe it. A wand of her own, a symbol of power and respect in the magical world. It meant she was strong enough to be considered a sorceress in her own right. A few tears welled up in her eyes, happy to finally be to this point and to be holding a piece of her mother's life. As if to respond to her joy, the crystal shone bright purple with its own inner light, a signal that it was in the right place.

"You are no longer my apprentice, child," Udonna said, a bit of sadness in her voice. "You are now apprentice only to yourself. I can still teach you things, but you are on a path all your own now." Gripping the wand a little tighter, Clare nodded. This was serious, and she understood that it took dedication.

"Where do I begin?"

"Where else?" Udonna asked with a smile, lightening the mood. "You must begin with basic spell forms. That is the beginning to every magical path." She sat down next to her niece, opening the silk-bound book between them both and flipping to the proper pages. Illustrated across them were sketches of beginners practicing spells, shouting the magical words, and all interspersed between the long cursive scrawl of its original owner, Luria herself, the creator of moon magic and first Gatekeeper. Apparently, she had been a good artist, too, for the drawings, solely of young women, were incredibly realistic and detailed, and Clare was amazed by it all. The reality of her situation was just hitting her now.

She was going to be a Gatekeeper. Her life would be on the line all the time now. Udonna was no longer her teacher. She was following the same path that her mother had, and she had her mother's wand and the notebook of all Gatekeepers to boot. This was definitely not how she imagined her day going. When she woke up this morning, she had just been the apprentice to a White Sorceress. Now, apparently the Underworld was after her for her power. It was a wonder how quickly things could change.

Noticing her niece's glazed over eyes, Udonna waved a hand in front of Clare's face.

"Are you okay, my dear?" she asked as Clare seemed to become grounded on planet Earth once again, smiling hazily.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "And sorry about that. I was just thinking." Her aunt chuckled softly.

"I understand. Your mother became lost in thought many a time. Sometimes we told her that her mind was as far away from the earth as her moon was." Reminiscent smile fading away, her eyebrows knitted together as she became more serious. "Still, time is of the essence. You must study and practice now." Clare, smile gone, nodded grimly. She turned back to the book and began reading, leaving Udonna to go back to her simmering brew.

As the light sound of pages flipping was cloaked by the occasional bout of swords clashing and the grunts of fighting, and the late afternoon light faded into the horizon in a blaze of fiery reds, icy blues, brilliant oranges and heavy purples, two cousins hardly had any time to ponder the new paths they were on. Nick and Leanbow, when both became too exhausted to fight anymore, retired inside, where Udonna served the stew she had been brewing for them all, a true family meal with all four of them there. Soon after, Nick had to head back to his other home, knowing that Gracey would have his head otherwise. Neither he nor Clare thought of their new path much, but neither had any clue where it was taking them. They just didn't know if that was a good or bad thing yet.

* * *

_A/N_ - Hah ha! Finished! I know, I know, it's about time, but I hit a creative block in the time between. I've moved past it for the most part, but the next chapter may take just as much time. This one turned out to be longer than I thought it would be, and I don't know exactly how long the next one will be. I'm not even done writing it on paper yet.

A side note: anyone who wants to read my notes/thoughts about CoD and CoL can visit my LiveJournal now. The link is in my profile. As of right now, it's just a master list of all the Ancients, what they represent and some notes about them.

I want to thank all those who voted for me as Best AU Story in the January PRMF Awards. Winning is a huge accomplishment for me. I must be doing something right.

Play and SchoBo are over in a few weeks, so that'll hopefully help me with this, but I can't promise anything. I can, however, direct you to another fic to read in your spare time: Powerful, by alienyouthct. He's a friend of mine, and we've talked a lot during the weeks in between my updates. Believe me, he has a weird mind... I love you anyway, Joe! mwah

Rambling aside, I'll leave you now. Until next we meet!


	5. Chapter 5

A whole night of stalking the streets, and nothing to show for it. She'd tried every tracking spell she could think of, but none seemed to actually work, guiding her endlessly through the streets. Her target was in this city, that much she knew, for someone as powerful as he was could not resist the burst of power that the woods had exuded as of late. There was no doubt that he knew what would be happening soon, both to the surface world and to him, and she was going to use that against him. His neutrality was a frustrating enigma, but that wouldn't matter when he became a tool within captivity. He wouldn't want his precious humans being destroyed, and that would be his downfall. All she had to do was find him and bring him to the Underworld, as per her master's wishes.

Still, magic was not as easy as those foolish magicians made it seem. Maybe it was because her new body was still fresh and not yet connected to the magic around it, or simply from a lifetime of never being able to use it, but each spell she tried was taxing, both mentally and physically. Of course, most of the spells she knew, a thin handful as it was, hardly worked when she tried them. That left her to stalk the dark streets of Briarwood without guidance, pausing only once when the bare beams of golden sunlight broke over the horizon and she reflexively flinched. Moments later, when she realized that it would no longer kill her, she let out a low growl and pressed on, scowling with undiluted hatred toward her daughter.

Times like then were exactly why she wanted to take revenge on the girl. It wasn't so much the fact that Leelee was now the queen as it was that she had allied with the side of light. Vampiric royalty belonged in the darkness, where it had began and where it should be for all eternity. Though Necrolai could no longer receive the powers, being not even partially vampiric anymore, for her daughter to have them was a disgrace. To be aligned with the light was lower than any other low imaginable in the realm of darkness, and that alone was enough reason for her to seek vengeance. Not to mention that she sorely missed her title and the abilities that came with it. Being human was a wretched thing, despite the flux of magic she could now access. How did her daughter live wi-

A striking wave of power halted her thoughts entirely, stronger than anything she'd felt all night. He was on this very street. Senses kicking into high gear, she visually and magically scoured the street for anyone who stuck out at all. Two young boys, a pregnant woman, an old man in a business suit, talking hurriedly into a cell phone... The old man with the balloons. Something in his aura was decidedly different that the others. Stiletto boots never making a noise, she stalked toward him as he passed a bright green balloon to a little girl.

"There you go, sweetheart," he said warmly, smiling at her. "Stay safe, okay?" She nodded merrily, pleased with her balloon, and jogged back over to her mother while Necrolai approached him.

"You should take the same advice, you know," she stated with a sneer. He snapped to look at her, a twinge of fear in his eyes.

"Who are you?" he inquired, hints of an unplaceable accent in his voice. "What do you want?" Her grip was already latched like a vice to his shoulder, strong for such a slight woman.

"You are the one I seek, Oracle," she sneered. "I am but the messenger for a greater power, and he wishes to see you." The old man began to panic, pulling against her, but her resolution, along with her grip, was absolute, and he stood no chance. "You're coming with me," she added with a snarl, a disturbed little smirk on her lips. "_Uthe sastos_." The pair sank into a dark violet spell seal, going unnoticed by every citizen but one. It seemed to be his lot in life as of late to see things he wasn't supposed to.

Standing just behind the door of his van, caught in the middle of unloading a new shipment of CDs, he had seen everything play out before him through the single dark window on the back door. Marveling at his own luck and completely unsure of what to do now, Toby could only mutter to himself the one thing he knew he could do.

"I've got to tell the Rangers."

* * *

"You know it's no use, Oracle!" Necrolai screeched, taking the terrified old man by the arm and heaving him toward Morticon, who sat idly on his throne. "Don't bother trying to hide it. Your magical aura is a distinctive one." Thrown down before the cyborg general, the older man trembled in fear.

"Who are you? W-What do you want with me?" he stammered, eyes darting nervously around the dank cavern. There really wasn't much to see.

Morticon had no patience for this man's charade, especially when even he could feel the being's raw magical power. Launching himself off of his seat, he grabbed the man gruffly by the collar of his shirt.

"Do not toy with me, Oracle. I know who you are."

"I don't know what you mean." He had to hand it to him, the man was very good at acting terrified.

"I know you do. You will assist us, or the consequences will haunt you forever. Must I remind you of the children?" The last few words hit the man close to home, and instantly his expression was gravely serious.

"As you wish, Morticon," he replied, stepping back from the general with raised arms, released by the cyborg at his compliance. His entire person flickered like a tv picking up the signal of two channels at once, a golden light wrapping around him. When it was gone, he was a radically different person, with a sandy beard, long white robes and eyes the shone a bright greenish-blue. The serious expression on his face had only been magnified by the transformation, staring down those across from him. "What do you want?" Not missing a beat, Morticon pressed on, hiding his amazement that Necrolai had actually found the Oracle. Maybe she still was good for something.

"You must show us where to head from here. Our armies need guidance."

"If you insist." His seafoam eyes fell shut as he raised his left hand, falling into a meditative state. Within his out turned palm opened an eye, matching his own remarkable orbs. It saw nothing of the cave around it, simply the ether surrounding the past, present and future. Only when it was instructed to could it see tangible things, and so could the Oracle by extension. "You must seek out the Gatekeeper," he murmured, watching the future unfold before his magical eye. "With some... persuasion, might I say, the Keeper will open the Gates and release your armies upon the human realm." Already, Morticon saw a flaw in this plan of action.

"How can we open the Gates to the human realm? The Ancients placed barriers between our realm and theirs."

"True, very true," the Oracle ceded. "But is it not also true that there are places to cross these barriers, just as the Gates are both a barrier and a passageway between the Underworld and the magical realm? The forest of Briarwood is a prime example. Once in the magical realm, one can move through the forest and into the human's world with ease. Is it also not true that the Gates are raised wherever their Keeper may be; that if the Gatekeeper opens the Gates while in the human realm, it is there that they shall be raised?" Morticon sunk back into his throne, faced with the Oracle's impeccable logic. The latter's eyes snapped open at the same time, his third eye fading into nothingness again.

"But who is this Gatekeeper?" Morticon posed, drawing the last blank to their attention. The Oracle simply shook his head.

"I know not. I only know that the Gatekeeper is someone close to the Power Rangers. Find her and you shall know what to do from there." Necrolai stepped forward, a smirk on her face.

"I know exactly who to look for."

* * *

Trudging down the hallway, hand in hand with Nick, Madison could hardly hear what he was saying. Something to the effect getting revenge on Kendall, and definitely something she should've been telling him off for thinking about. His words barely registered with her, though, not when she had this throbbing headache. It had been bothering her all day, coming and going as it pleased. She had tried every remedy in the book and absolutely every one had failed, leaving her with the persistently random feeling that her head was being rendered in two from the inside out.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked suddenly, breaking through the haze in her mind and, for the most part, driving it away. A dull thud still resided just beyond her temples, resounding from a place that no amount of massaging could reach. She gazed up at her boyfriend, and he added worriedly, "You look kind of out of it, and I keep getting these bits of pain from you. Is everything alright?" She wasn't quite sure of how to answer him, not knowing whether or not she really was okay herself.

"I just have a really bad headache," she answered finally. "It's either my vision from yesterday, still haunting me, or a brain tumor. Take your pick."

"The visions, thank you very much," Nick replied seriously, "because if it's the brain tumor, I'll find a way to save you, by spell or by healing. There's no way I'm just going to let you die, not if I can help it." She rolled her eyes, the light pain now barely noticeable, and stopped at her locker, putting the few notebooks she was carrying into it.

"Cry me a river, Anakin," she said, slamming the metal door shut and walking away, Nick not far behind. "One, it was just a joke. No need to overreact or anything. Two, when I die, I die. We all have to sometime, and my time will come eventually. Life goes on. We're in a dangerous line of work as it is."

"Ooh, deep," he said, grinning. "But until it's your time, I'm going to make sure anyone who threatens you gets what they deserve."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. And don't even think about it. Killing zombies and monsters is one thing; killing people is going just a little bit too far." The pair joined the lunch line, waiting for the multitudes before them to inch forward, and Nick wrinkled his nose.

"I didn't mean it that way. Wouldn't want too much blood on my hands. Maybe just... incapacitate them or something." Maddie rolled her eyes. "Either way, no one's going to hurt you, not without meeting the end of my fist."

"I am a big girl, you know. I don't always need you and Vida hovering around me. If you haven't noticed, I can take care of myself in battle."

"Monsters are a whole different story. You're allowed to use your trident on them. People don't really like it when you stab them with magical weapons, and when it comes to an unmorphed fistfight, I think I'd do better than you would."

"Yeah, whatever," she ceded, knowing to just give in now. If he kept on that way, it would only escalate the situation. It was best to just let it die.

Smiling at his small victory, though he hardly counted it as such when she gave up so easily, he grabbed a tray and began assembling his lunch. They talked of more trivial things after that, heading to their regular table outside. Drifting away mid-discussion, she was distracted by something soaring overhead. Normally, she was more focused than that, but something about this bird caught her attention. It was an owl. Why would an owl be out at noon, especially on such a bright and sunny day? Something about the sight was so utterly engrossing that she couldn't pull herself away from it. She knew it was a sign, but what for? Only when she realized that she was sitting down and Chip had posed a question to them all did she come back to reality.

"I'm not sure," Xander responded to whatever the Yellow Magician had asked. He turned to look at Maddie, who was busy trying to figure out what they were talking about. "Do you know where she is?"

"Who?" she asked, seeming a bit confused. He gave her a strange look, motioning with his head to the empty seat.

"V. She's usually the first one here."

"Yeah, sorry about that," chimed in the Pink Ranger's voice from behind them. They all looked to the arrival, noticing something amiss with their friend as she joined them. Her hair, usually spiked outward and vaguely messy, was more tumultuous than usual, no real styling to it, and an extra flush adorned her cheeks, something they only saw after she finished an intense training session. Her twin gave her a questioning look.

"V, where were you, exactly?" The taller twin smiled nervously, shaking her head.

"Nowhere important," she replied, but Maddie saw through the lie. She smacked her sister's shoulder hard.

"You were making out with Billy again, weren't you?" she accused, eyes narrowing. When she received a sheepish silence as her answer, she knew exactly what had gone down. "What's your problem? You can't just have some make-out jaunt in the janitor's closet between classes because you get the urge to. It's just not right." Vida rolled her eyes.

"Not all of us have fantastic boyfriends that we're destined to be with. Sometimes a girl just wants a little fun," she said, sarcasm kicking in reflexively. "Besides, it's not like you and Nick haven't made out before. If I remember correctly, I walked in on you two sucking face in the living room while Mom and Dad were out last weekend, Miss Saint." Blushing slightly, Maddie sent her sister an even glare.

"I though we agreed not to mention that."

"And you said we wouldn't talk about Billy," Vida retorted, "so we're even. Besides, it wasn't Billy this time. It was Jared." Maddie's glare changed to one tainted by disgust, but she never had a chance to respond to her twin's admission. At that very moment, the school's monster alert system began screaming. A recent city mandate required all public buildings to have their own alarms in case the city's were knocked out, and that included all area schools. Whether or not the city's was working, the school's was still fully intact, and it was blaring full-power.

The trill of the system startled many students, and every teenager began freaking out as teachers tried to maintain order. The Mystic Force, only hearing this specific alert once before during school drills, momentarily panicked until they realized what it was for. They quickly exchanged glances, minds holding the same thought: they had to stop whatever it was.

Moving away from the students fleeing into the designated safe zones within the building, they ducked behind a bunch of trees used to liven up the outdoor lunchroom. Checking around them to assure that all of the other students were either inside or unable to see them, Nick nodded.

"We're good. _Uthe sastos ozarro_," he murmured, raising his arm above the group. A spell seal flew up from his fingertips, swallowing the group from above and spiriting them away to a downtown alley. Looking around after they'd fully materialized, Nick couldn't help but shake his head. "Can't they ever find a different place to fight? Old teams got to fight in open parks and mountain ranges, and what do we get? Crowded downtown streets." Xander patted the leader's shoulder with faux sympathy.

"Gotta go with what you're given, mate. Can't help it if we got the unoriginal villains," he replied consolingly. "Now, are you ready for this?"

"Always. You guys ready?" the Red Wizard asked the other three.

"Ready," they each answered, wands out.

"Magical source, Mystic Force!"

Where the five teens had stood just moments before, there were now the five Mystic Rangers, each prepared to fight. They dashed into the adjacent street where the attack was taking place, Magi Staffs ready in hand. The citizens who had been fleeing stopped for a moment as the multicolored heroes emerged from the alleyway, relieved to see them coming to the rescue, but almost instantly began running away again as the Hidiacs giving chase resumed their sport. Their peril was over soon enough, as the Rangers split up, taking out the foot soldiers on every side without breaking a sweat. More swarmed around the teens as the innocent people fled as far away as they could, and the new zombies went down like grass underfoot. The flow never seemed to end, though, and by the fifth wave, the Rangers were growing bored and suspicious.

"I think there's more going on here than just causing trouble," Chip shouted over the fighting, shooting another Hidiac down without looking.

"Like they're just a distraction from whatever's really going on?" Maddie added, pulling her trident out of the chest of a foot soldier with a sharp jerk.

"Sounds right up the Underworld's alley," Nick said. "Not straightforward about anything. A little too intelligent for old Morty, though. Vida, can you go up and see what's really going on here?"

"'Course." She summoned a powerful updraft, pushing her straight up in the air. It took a minute for her to spot the origin of the hordes of zombies, but there was one nonetheless, meaning that this wasn't just a huge swarm of them to annoy the Rangers. Floating back down, she beat more zombies out of the way until she reached Nick. "They're coming from a street a block down from us, and they just keep coming. How are we supposed to get over there without killing all of them? We can't just leave them to wander around, and it doesn't look like there's an end to them."

"Just burn them all. Zombies have no resistance to fire," Chip interjected, a lifelong love for not just science fiction but horror movies paying off. Under his helmet, Nick smirked.

"Works for me," he said, cutting down the few Hidiacs around him to provide a bit of space. "Power of the phoenix!" The form of a blazing phoenix engulfed him, sending him up above the near useless foot soldiers. He swooped back down in a sharp arc, tearing a path through the undead easily and allowing the rest of the team to follow behind. Each cut down the Hidiacs that didn't catch fire or, in Maddie's case, douse anything that wasn't supposed to burn. In a matter of moments, they were through, killing the last of those behind them and staring down into a dead-end street.

Not five feet down hovered a dark spell seal, the apparent origin of the waves of foot soldiers. It seemed to be a permanent fixture, spewing more of the zombies from time to time without fading away like usual seals and encompassing the street from one side to the other. Vida found out first hand that trying to walk through it wasn't a good idea when a blast of energy threw her back onto the ground with a harsh thud. This small conundrum was quickly remedied by a shot of lightning from Chip's crossbow, the magically charged electricity enough to temporarily disrupt the spell and leave it wide open for Xander, who cleaved it in half. The purple energy fizzled away into nothingness, leaving the heroes to deal with the last few Hidiacs it had spit out.

After a quick job on the zombies, they sprinted down the alleyway to face the real problem. At the very end stood a tall woman, clad entirely in black leather, standing over a cowering man with her back to them. For a moment, Maddie froze, recognizing this as the woman from her vision, but she hastily regained her senses and joined the others in facing down this new menace.

"Get away from him!" Nick commanded. Recognizing the poor guy she was terrorizing as Toby, he wondered exactly how his boss had gotten wrapped up in this, but brushed it off in order to do his duty. The woman didn't even turn to look at them.

"Not a chance," she replied. "He is mine, Rangers." Toby peeked around the trash can he'd taken up as one last barrier against his assailant, a look of excitement coming over his previously frightened features.

"Thank god you guys are here!" he shouted. "This lady won't leave me alone! She says I'm a Bridgekeeper or something. I don't know wh-"

"Shut up, human!" she screeched, irritation evident in her voice. "My master will not stand for overly chatty wretches, Gatekeeper or not." Something about her voice was all too familiar to Nick, but he couldn't place it.

"Just who are you?" he asked suspiciously. There was something about her he couldn't shake, a persistent bad feeling. Whoever she was, she was bad news.

She chuckled lightly and turned abruptly toward them.

"You don't recognize me?" she sneered, mock disappointment lacing her voice and without a doubt on her features, though they were hidden. A black leather mask, painted with simple designs around the glassy eye coverings and bright red lips curled up in a smug smirk, concealed her pale face, but the hatred that lay just beyond it bled through unmistakably. "I'm hurt, Rangers. I thought you'd at least recognize an old foe." Pairing information and gut instinct together, Chip joined the conversation.

"Of course we recognize you, Necrolai," he spat, adding an unconscious touch of venom to her name. The others glanced between the Yellow Ranger and the woman in black, trying to see what the former saw. "I do have one question, though: how'd you do it?" Her sharp peal of laughter made it sound as if he had asked the most half-witted question she'd ever heard.

"How? She barked. "I am in the here and now, Yellow Wizard. Is that not enough for you?"

"How, Necrolai?" he asked once again, an authority in his voice not often present. He was dead set on knowing exactly how his biggest victory had eluded death.

She sighed, as if bored with it all, and answered, "If you really must know, my master is powerful beyond your understanding. He saved me from death's grip, and I do as he wishes." Nick shook his head.

"No way. I destroyed the Master." Once again, she laughed, an unappealing sound to all who heard it.

"The Master was nothing. My new master has far more power than he ever could've dreamed of." The Mystic Force, though she couldn't see, all rolled their eyes. Every new villain claimed to be stronger and smarter than the last. Very rarely did they live up to that claim.

The Rangers, unfortunately, didn't have time to make the usual witty jibes, or even continue the conversation, for in the same moment that they reacted to her outlandish comment, Toby sprung from his hiding place, finally empowered enough by the Rangers' presence to quit hiding. His wild hair and eyes, not to mention his frantic shouts, drew all six points of attention back to him.

"You guys have to help me. She wants me to open up the gates to the Underworld, or something like that! I know it sounds hardcore, but I don't think it's a good thing," he exclaimed all in one breath. Necrolai scowled at him.

"Quiet, Gatekeeper," she hissed, making the man cower again. Nick stepped forward, slightly fazed by the casual way their boss addressed them. Most regular people hardly ever talked to them when they were in morph, let alone referring to them as anything but Rangers. He talked like he knew them, which he technically did. While still trying to keep up normal pretenses, Nick silently accepted the possibility that Toby knew their secret.

"What do you really want with him?" he shouted. There was no way she actually thought Toby was the Gatekeeper. No one could be that dense, not with such a long life surrounded by magic. She sent him a withering glare strong enough to make small children cry, but none of the Rangers even flinched.

"You fools are so close to him, and yet you don't know?" she jeered. "He is more powerful than any of you realize, and my master wants that power." The quintet almost laughed. Necrolai thought Toby was the Gatekeeper? The sheer absurdity of the idea made the whole situation seem less intense.

"You actually think he's the Gatekeeper?" Nick scoffed. "You're the fool here, Necrolai." The former vampire queen's aggressive stance relaxed a bit, the witch herself confused. "Why would the Gatekeeper hide out in the open? That would be a really bad move for such a powerful person." For a moment, she hesitated, digesting what he said, but she quickly resumed her powerful stance.

"It is no matter, Red Ranger. I will find the Gatekeeper one way or another, and then the Gates will open and darkness will rule once more. _Uthe sastos_!" She disappeared into a violet spell seal, giving the Rangers reason to relax, though not too much. They approached Toby, his eyes wide as dinner plates in awe.

"Oh, wow. You guys..." he managed to murmur, a hand drifting up to Nick's red helmet. The power of his situation was truly hitting him now. The Power Rangers were his very own employees. "H-hi, you guys." They glanced between each other, communicating without words. A moment later, they all looked back at him.

"Hi, Toby," Nick greeted hesitantly. "Uh, you okay?" The wild-haired man nodded slowly. "Good." An awkward pause followed, Toby searching each of them over. It was them. It really was them. They were actually acknowledging that they were the Power Rangers. He didn't realize it, but his heart was beating faster.

"So it really is you guys," he said. "You guys are the Mystic Rangers. My employees are the Mystic Force Rangers." Again, they nodded, popping their helmets off.

"You know you can't tell anyone," Madison said, brushing a strand of dark brown hair out of her eyes.

"Oh, oh, of course!" he replied without hesitation. "I wouldn't tell a soul. Your secret is safe with me." They smiled appreciatively. "Who was that lady, though? The one chasing me."

"That was Necrolai," Chip spat, still angry that she wasn't dead. "She used to be the Queen of the Vampires, but she's just human now. That means she has magic." Toby, already amazed, could hardly control all of his wild thoughts as it was and at the mention of magic, a thousand more popped up.

"Do you guys have magic? You know, when you're not Rangers?"

"Everyone does. All you have to do is believe," Xander answered, echoing Udonna's early words to them. Better than anyone, he understood this idea. All he'd needed was a talk with Jeannette, a girl he'd met last week when Viscan was teaching him a lesson. Her unconscious display of magic had been enough to convince him that anyone, human or magical realm, could use magic, and her talk of other people doing small things only drove the point home. Now if only he could find her again...

"So how'd you guys become Rangers? Why? Who are you fighting?" Toby asked, no longer able to hold back his flood of questions. The quintet exchanged looks, Maddie deciding to answer.

"Those are all really great questions, Toby, but could we answer them later? We kind of left school to fight." Taking a moment to comprehend what she meant, his face lit up in realization.

"Oh jeez, sorry! I totally spaced on that!" he blurted. Usually, they were skipping work, not school, and the latter was much more important. "Go, go! You can explain later." He shooed them away, and they grinned at one another.

"Thanks. Power down," Nick said, the others following suit. "See you later."

"See you guys later," Toby responded, still in a dazed state of awe that wasn't helped by their demorphing. Each gave their farewell and looked to Nick.

"You guys ready?" he asked, getting nods in response. "_Uthe sastos ozarro_." The group faded into nothingness under the power of the large golden-purple spell seal, much like the one that had spewed zombies a few minutes earlier. The only differences were the color and a few different symbols, but Toby watched with just as much awe. Magic was even more astounding when they did it out of morph.

Across town, the five teens materialized inside a tiny janitor's closet, barely large enough for the five of them. Hearing the general roar of kids in the hall, they knew now would be the best time to slip out unnoticed. Cracking the door open, each slid into the hallway in a hasty succession, just separate enough to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Attention was the last thing they needed right now. Toby had already figured them out, and they didn't need to make more people suspicious. Their secret needed to stay that way.

* * *

"You deliberately misled me, Oracle!" Necrolai screamed, throwing the most vicious spell she could think of at him. Nonplussed, he vanished in a halo of golden light, only to reappear behind her.

"I did no such thing, Necrolai," he calmly replied. "You made rash decisions, and were proven wrong on your own. It was none of my doing." She was relentless, though, stalking over to him.

"You made no effort to tell me that I was wrong. You let me chase down the wrong person, and now the Rangers are onto us." The Oracle simply looked bored.

"They were already onto you. The Blue had a vision yesterday. This changes nothing. Besides," he added, glaring at her, "it was your own idiocy that undid you. Gatekeepers can only be women."

"Well, can you tell us more about _this_ Gatekeeper?" Necrolai sneered, avoiding her own glaring error. The Oracle shook his head.

"I'm afraid the future is too clouded. All the more I can tell you is that she resides within the magical realm." He stepped back from the villainess, smiling vaguely. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be going." In a flash of gold light, he was gone, leaving Morticon and Necrolai alone, if you didn't count the Hidiacs milling around uselessly in the alcoves above them. The former vampire queen was deep in thought.

"Where do you go now?" Morticon asked, silent up until now, mostly for lack of anything constructive to say.

"I have an idea," Necrolai murmured, focused on something beyond either of them. A devious smile formed on her lips. "Just maybe..."

* * *

It was time. They were going to come clean. He was going to know everything.

Of, course, he already knew, but now was the time to explain it all. One of them being late didn't exactly help. The five that were on time waited in a silence that the Rock Porium had never before experienced, waiting for the arrival of the sixth and final person. Toby had closed the shop down for an hour, claiming a doctor's visit, so that they could have some privacy.

Finally, Chip clattered through the door, rounding out their little party. He was flushed and messy, looking like he'd just run a marathon. Strange for him, considering he could run a marathon in less than a minute.

"Sorry 'bout being late," he managed, breathing loudly. "My uncle made me do all of my chores, and then help him look for his good shovel. It was in the basement freezer, of all places." That explained a lot. His uncle was a good guy, but way too scatterbrained for his own good. "I did it all in superspeed to get here as fast as I could." Toby arched an eyebrow.

"Superspeed?" he inquired. "I thought you guys were just Rangers."

"It's part of the whole magic thing," Maddie replied. "We're magicians, too, but not the kind you see at kids' parties. Full-fledged wands and spells magicians."

"It's all kind of complicated," Vida added. "See, in the forest dimension, everyone can use magic because they all believe. People in this dimension can't use it because they don't believe and because the two worlds were too divided."

"But some people can now," Xander said, "because we showed up. We use magic as Rangers, and that was enough to make some people believe. And because the division between our world and the magical one is thinner now, those people were actually able to do magic. Mostly elemental stuff, because they don't know spell forms and words and things like that." Toby held up a hand, already lost in their rapid-fire deluge of information.

"So you guys can do magic just by pointing a wand and saying a spell? And other people can do basic stuff because they believe?"

"Yeah, it just takes the right spell and concentration. Sometimes you don't even need a wand," Nick answered, one question at a time. "And no, not basic stuff, elemental stuff. You know, the natural elements? Wind, water, fire, lightning and earth?" Toby nodded in understanding.

"So people can use these elements with magic?"

"Well, not all of the elements. Everybody fits into one branch pretty well," Chip said, fielding this one. "I'm a lightning, hence being the Yellow Ranger and a follower of the yellow branch."

"Branch?"

"Again, complicated. There are eleven branches of magic - sometimes twelve or thirteen, based on your perspective - but the main five cover the basic elements. Fire -" He pointed to Nick, who flicked his finger on and off again like a lighter. "- water -" Maddie waved. "- air -" Vida grinned at him. "- earth -" Xander's turn to smile. "- and me, lightning. As Rangers, we represent the five main branches and the Ancient Titans, who are basically the godly epitomes of their magic. They formed their specific branch and protect their followers. We're their human avatars, not just followers, and that's why we're Rangers. That power comes directly from them. Since they've technically been dead for ages, we represent them in the here and now and protect everyone from evil, not just those that believe."

"But... superspeed?"

"That's just a perk of being an avatar. It's a natural extension of my powers. Lightning is fast, so I am too. Just not as fast as light, at least not yet."

"Can you guys do other things, too?" Toby asked, pointing to the others.

"I can heal," Nick replied. He glanced around, eyes falling on a fresh cut on Toby's arm. "How'd you get that?" His boss looked to his arm, smiling sheepishly.

"A crate of vinyls got the best of me today," he answered. Nick smiled.

"May I?" Toby, though hesitantly, obliged and held out his arm. The Red Wizard placed a hand on it gently and closed his eyes. A soft red glow came from between his fingers, and when he lifted his hand away, there was no indication that the cut had ever been there. Toby was, to say the least, stunned.

"And I'm strong," Xander added, drawing a confused tilt of the head from his already dazed boss. "Like, stronger than normal. Let's see..." At a loss for how to better explain it, he scanned the room for a way to demonstrate. His eyes fell on the perfect thing - heavy and it would drive Vida nuts. He hopped up from his seat on the platform and slid a hand under the entire deejaying rig. It rose into the air smoothly, supported by Xander's single hand despite the fact that moving it was regularly a two-person job. Ignoring Vida's acid glare, he switched it to his other hand and set it back down. He took his seat on the edge of the platform once again, enjoying Toby's awestruck expression. The look was only enhanced when Chip momentarily disappeared, returning with a plucked rose twirling between his fingers.

"All yours," he said, presenting it to Vida. She accepted it with a raised eyebrow, but didn't have a chance to thank him, as Toby cut in.

"What about you two?" he asked, pointing to Madison and Vida. Both shook their heads.

"Nothing yet," Maddie replied. "But Undelle will pay up eventually."

"She and Aerika both," Vida added. "Boys can't be favored forever." She glanced to the guys, who shrugged casually. "Of course, some of us don't even get a special weapon." Maddie rolled her eyes.

"Get over it. You'll get a weapon if you're meant to. If you're not, you can still turn into a giant pink tornado. Doesn't that cause enough destruction?"

"I guess," the Sprite ceded. "But Xander still got boxing gloves last week." Maddie sighed, tired of hearing about that.

"They were a gift from Viscan for learning his lesson. Besides, I checked the Xenotome. We all got the spell code." Toby, yet again, was utterly lost.

"Undelle? Aerika? Viscan? Spell codes?" Even forming whole sentences was too much right now, brain trying to sort out all of the new information being thrown at him. Now was Xander's turn to field the questions.

"The first three are Ancient Titans, the beings we represent. Undelle is water magic, Aerika is air and Viscan is earth. Ignos is Nick's, and Chip's is Levitas. There are six others, the Ancient Mystics. Their followers are more rare because most people fit into the five basic elements. Most people who do fit into one of these six branches break away from another related branch. None of the Mystics have Rangers yet. Well, Cias - Mystic of Snow and Ice - used to, but she got her morpher taken away and we haven't gotten it back yet." He looked to the others confusedly. "Why haven't we?"

"Because we don't know where Koragg hid it. We'll get it back eventually," Nick responded. "But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Spell codes are special spells we can use when we're morphed, or to morph." He flipped open his phone into its full wand form. "They use different combinations of numbers to do different things. If I dialed one-two-three and pressed enter right now, I'd morph. 'Course, you can morph by using the call, too, and sometimes just by will. The last one's hard to do. Usually, we just use the call."

"Call?"

Nick grinned, replying, "If you'd like, I can demonstrate." He paused mid-movement, shaking his head a bit. "I hang around Mom and Dad too much. I'm starting to sound like them." Glancing back at Toby, he grinned again. "Sorry. Mom and Dad talk weird, and it's starting to rub off on me."

"But I thought your parents were in Borneo," Toby said, making the Red Wizard roll his eyes. "And, no, I don't need to see you morph. I've already seen you morphed and helmetless. That's more than most people get."

"They're somewhere like that," he muttered. It was hard to keep up with where his adoptive parents were currently working nowadays. They dealt with acquisitions for an Angel Grove auction house, and it took them everywhere. Attempting to keep up with where they were at any point in time was something better left to his grandparents. "I'm talking about my birth parents. I actually did find them, by the way. It wasn't just an excuse, and it's kind of a long story. They're from the magical dimension we mentioned earlier. They live with magic every day, and they've trained us since the beginning. Well, Mom has. She was the White Ranger until Koragg took her Snow Staff. After that, she trained us. Dad's been doing most of the physical training since we got him back a few weeks ago. "

"Where was he?" Nick bit his lip. Not a fun subject.

"The Underworld. The Master brainwashed him back into Koragg when he went behind the Gates during the Great Battle." A familiar feeling for him today, Toby was getting lost again.

"So your father was Koragg until you guys saved him a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah, that's the short version. Technically, my mom saved him. It was a rescue mission for Vida, him and I."

"Why you and Vida?"

"Vida was turned into a vampire by the Queen of the Vampires and Koragg turned me evil. That's why I disappeared for a couple weeks." He shook his head. "I'm getting ahead of myself again. We really should've started at the beginning. That would make this whole thing a lot easier."

"Okay, then. How'd this all start?" Maddie's turn to answer.

"Remember that earthquake back in May? Well, it shook both dimensions and made a crack in the Gates that hold all the evil in the Underworld. That meant that evil could escape, and neither world was safe anymore. Udonna - she's Nick's mom - was in disguise outside the shop and asked for help in the woods. We're the only ones that volunteered. She took us into the woods and disappeared. We were attacked, but she fought the Hidiacs away as the White Ranger and we accidentally wandered into Root Core, our base and Udonna's home. She gave us our wands, but we were understandably a little wary. I mean, at the time none of us knew anything about magic or what was going on. Suddenly we were being told that we had to protect the world from evil. We did what anyone else would've done in our place - when Udonna left, we ran.

"We weren't destined to run, though, because we ran into her again and got attacked. That's when our magic kicked in - everyone except for Nick's. After the fight, he left, but came back not much later. Destiny has a way of roping you in like that. Anyway, everything from there is a heyday of fighting, training and learning." Toby nodded. Things were beginning to fall into place.

"So let me get this all straight - you were all recruited by the sorceress Udonna, who's Nick mother -"

"We didn't know she was his mother then."

"- and she gave you your wands, which are apparently also your morphers. You all, in some way or another, unlocked your magic and became Rangers. As Rangers, you're the human avatars of magical gods called the Ancient Titans, who created the five core branches of magic. Because you represent them, you get some extra power besides being Rangers, but all humans can use magic if they believe and the magical border is thinner now. They can only do elemental stuff because they don't know the right words." Maddie nodded this time.

"I'm impressed Toby. You really -" He held up a hand to shush her.

"I'm not done yet," he stated. "Now, altogether there are eleven beings - thirteen, depending - in this little pantheon, and the other six are called the Ancient Mystics. One of these Mystics, Cias, also has a Ranger, Udonna. She can't morph right now because her morpher was hidden by Koragg, who is Nick's father, just brainwashed by the Master. On a rescue mission a few weeks ago, you guys rescued him along with Nick and Vida, who turned evil and into the servant of the Queen of the Vampires, respectively. Now he's good again and he helps train you guys."

"You've got it."

"So how are there eleven or thirteen of these Ancients? Do the ones without Rangers get represented at all?"

"Well, there are eleven main Ancients, and then there are two more beings that represent dark and light magicks as a whole," Xander answered. "Pravus represents all dark magic and Luxulieris all good magic. Most call her Lux for short - it's just easier. Some call them the Saints because they originally taught the Ancients about magic. 'Course, that doesn't fit Pravus very well, but most call him the Dark Saint. Lux gets called the High Saint of Light, the Holy Saint or just Saint Mother. She has an avatar, too, but this person usually stays secret so she can watch magical use anonymously." Toby nodded.

"And why can't these Ancients just come down to Earth and end all the worrying if they're so powerful?" It was a valid question, one they'd all wondered, and Vida was the first to answer.

"They can come down physically if they want to, but it basically shuts down their magic while they do. If they all came here, it'd reduce all of us to doing parlor tricks. They choose avatars instead, usually in every generation and always in times of need, so that they don't have to leave their positions and magic can keep on going. Xander even got to meet his last week. That's where the horns went so quickly. They weren't actually makeup. They were for real."

"Viscan's way of being funny and trying to teach me a lesson," Xander interjected. "Believe me, I did. Meeting the being that gives you your magic is something that gets you. Not to mention he has the power to inflict worse things on me." Better to not worry about how his hair looked from time to time than to explain to his parents why he was in a flowery little dress.

"I actually have a question for you," Chip said, nodding to Toby. "How'd you find out about us? It wasn't too easy, was it?" Ever since they found out that he knew, each had wondered if their secret was in danger of being found out by others. If one person could do it, why couldn't everyone else?

Shaking his head, Toby replied, "Not, it wasn't." They each looked relieved. "I mean, I've had my suspicions off and on for a while, but I never considered them seriously. Actually, I only figured you guys out because Xander demorphed in front of me." The Green Wizard cocked his head, trying to figure out when he'd done so. Nothing came to mind. "It was last week. You were fighting that skeleton monster and powered down to crush its skull. I was watching the whole fight from the steps of the shop. Thought it'd be a great story to tell. I guess I didn't know what I was getting into."

"So how'd you figure the rest of us out if you only saw Xander?" Madison asked. Her boss shrugged.

"I just saw the patterns. You all disappeared at the same time after getting the same ring on the same phones and usually came back tired. And you all wore the same colors every day. When you know what to look for, it gets easier. Until you know what it means, you don't really notice, though, so I wouldn't worry. I never would've realized it otherwise." Each relaxed a bit more, knowing that their secret identities weren't glaringly obvious. The last thing they needed was their secret becoming public knowledge. "So who exactly are you fighting?" Toby asked, back to the original format. " I know you guys mentioned the Master and Koragg and that Necrolai lady, but who are they?" At the mention of the last one, a look of utter hatred crossed Chip's face.

"Necrolai used to be the Queen of the Vampires. She's the one who turned Vida, and I thought I killed her in the Underworld." He scowled. "Obviously not, since she tried abducting you earlier. I don't know how she's alive, but she's human now. I'm still going to hunt her down, though. She and I have a score to settle." The others gave him strange looks. Such vengeance wasn't generally up Chip's alley, and it was more than a little disturbing. Seeing his friends' looks, he consciously relaxed a bit. "Having the new Queen on our side helps. If she can keep all of her children under her rule, then I just have to hunt down the rogues."

"New queen?"

"Children?" The second question was Xander's, demonstrating just how little the Rangers knew about Chip's other duty. It was something he rarely talked about, though they knew he'd been on a few hunts since he became a hunter. As far as they knew, Necrolai had been his first kill, and one to be proud of within hunting circles. They understood why he was angry that she was still alive, but to threaten the life of a human, no matter how evil, was a little extreme.

"The vampires that the Queen rules are called her children because, somewhere along the royal line, a queen created each one indirectly. She's connected to every vampire across the world, and she can feel it when one dies. I've been trying to spread it among the local circles that the new Queen is on our side. If we can get her to keep her children in line, then they're not a threat and our job is easier. There are a lot fewer rogues than regular vampires." He looked to Toby, who had posed the second question.

"As for the new Queen, the next in line got Necrolai's title and powers when I killed her the first time. There's a difference between being born a vampire and being made one. Vampires who are made can't have children because they're immortal. The only way to be born a vampire is if it's by a royal. Royals are direct descendants of the original vampire, who made sure that her bloodline would live on and would always be more powerful than your average vampire. They're born just like humans, but they can't use magic. No vampires can. They gave it up for immortality. Instead, they have special powers and skills, and royals have more than that. Royals can have children, but only girls can rule, hence 'Queen of the Vampires.'

"The new Queen, the one on our side, is only half vampire because her mom, Necrolai, wanted to breed magic into the royal line. Being a crossbreed took away her basic vampiric powers, but she has them all now that she's Queen." Once again, the others were giving him odd looks, but he just stared back at him. "What? I talked with her about a lot of this stuff. Most I learned from my book, and Dad, but she filled in a lot of blanks. She's really helpful with this sort of stuff. Not that I trust her entirely," he added, "but she's been a big help with fleshing out the details. COUNTV is really benefitting."

"Who's Count V?"

"Not who - what. COUNTV is the biggest vampire hunting society in the world. It's actually based out of Briarwood, which isn't hard to believe considering how weird our town is." The others smiled knowingly. "Basically, it helps fledgling hunters and sends supplies out when you need them. Most members keep to themselves, but some partner up to hunt. I've only ever met one local hunter, and that's only because we bumped into each other while hunting. We almost shot each other, but we recognized each other's cloaks before arrows flew. COUNTV distributes hunting cloaks with a specific design to help hunters silently recognize one another. It's a good way to see whether you're dealing with a noob or a trained hunter. Anyway, she and I joined up that night after we realized we were hunting the same vamp. We caught the guy, but -" He paused, eyes betraying his words. "- but she took him down herself. That was the first time I'd actually caught one and seen it killed." Drifting away from the conversation, he seemed entirely lost in whatever was on his mind. The others stared at him, though he didn't seem to notice. All the hatred his speech had began with was now gone, lost to a sea on indiscernible emotions crossing his face. Finally, Vida got tired of waiting and waved a hand in front of him.

"Time to wake up, Charles Lucien Thorn," she said, half mocking him. If there was one thing that could wake him up, aside from an X-Wing crashing into the Rock Porium, it was his full name. He hated it for all of its proper fanciness. Chip was so much simpler, less formal. Sure enough, he perked up, glaring at her.

"If you say so, Vida Araceli," he spat back. At one time, she had thought her middle name was dumb, but that time obviously wasn't now. It hardly seemed to faze her; in fact, she smiled.

"You think that's going to get to me?" she laughed. "Araceli means altar of air. I'm really with it now. It's just the cosmos laughing at me, Lucien." The last word seemed to have an extra bite, and his scowl returned.

"Laugh it up," he muttered. It was best now to just drop it and return to the original topic. "Anyway, Necrolai is human now. Whoever her new master is obviously couldn't bring her back as a regular vampire, let alone a royal, but that means she was magic now. That means she's still dangerous. Her existence is setting us back a step in this whole war. We don't need another general to deal with."

"Wait, wait, wait - you guys are in a war?" Toby asked, stunned. He knew Rangers fought off bad guys on a regular basis - you'd have to be incredibly dull not to know that, especially in California - but it had never seemed like a war to him. These guys were in deeper than he'd realized.

Maddie answered first, shrugging. "Yeah, war. We're at the front of it right now." When Toby gave her a questioning look, she realized how nonchalant she was being about war and tried to explain herself. "Sorry. I didn't mean it to sound so casual. It's just that we've been at this for a few months now and the impact of being in a war has kind of faded. We're not out on the frontlines or anything, either. It's just an attack every so often. Someday, we might be out there on the forefront, along with every other being we can rally, but right now we're just here to keep down the attacks. This war has been going on for ages; we're just the ones who'll stop it one day. It isn't something we can hide from - it's our destiny, and I think we've all accepted that our lives are anything but ordinary. They barely were before we were Rangers." They all grinned, knowing life around them had never been quite normal. "The thing is, we're the final rallying point for the war between the darkness and the light. There will always be the struggle, but it'll never be like this again. At least, that's how prophecy writes it out. We'll just have to see." The older man nodded. They were so casual about it because it was so perfectly woven into their lives that it was normal to them.

"So who else are you fighting?" he inquired, moving on. "I know there are those zombie things that you guys just tear through like they're nothing."

"Those are Hidiacs," Xander replied. "Your basic foot soldiers. They're just there to get in our way. And you're right - they are zombies. We fight a lot of the undead. One of dark magic's specialties is raising the dead. There are so many of them because it takes so little magic raising an obedient shell. Styxoids are the next step up. They can talk and think, but they still take orders without question. They're stronger than your average zombie, but a lot harder to raise. Morticon's the highest point of that magic - he can give orders and lead the whole army. 'Course, that's the most difficult magic, so whoever raised him had to blend technology into him to keep him alive. He's a cyborg zombie, and the general of all the Underworld's forces." Maddie, Nick and Vida all gave him strange looks, while Chip and Toby seemed impressed.

"How exactly do you know all that?" Vida asked, nudging his knee with her foot to draw his attention. He looked to her and shrugged.

"Root Core has a lot of books. The one on the history of necromancy sounded interesting, so I picked it up the other day. Besides, my dad has a thing for zombie movies, so I thought I'd brush up on real zombies. It's not like I'm prancing over to the dark side or anything. No offense," he added, glancing to Nick.

"None taken," the Red Wizard replied. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you don't prance into darkness. Sounds just a bit too fluffy for hardcore evil. I think you're just evil or not, anyway. It's just something you're born toward - good, evil or, for some of us, good and toeing the line. You're pretty obviously good, so I think we're all safe from you leading a zombie uprising." Smiling, Xander nodded.

"Yeah, I know. The Titans wouldn't choose someone who was inherently evil. Viscan isn't that dumb." Undoubtedly a sign, a slight tremor shook the room, setting free an already loose chunk of the ceiling. It smacked Xander on the head, making him yelp girlishly and jump away from the small piece of stone like it was lethal. Ignoring the laughter of his friends and boss, he rubbed the sore spot on his head and glanced up into the sky. "Sorry, sorry. I was just kidding, you know... No, I'll pass on horns again. Once was enough." He rolled his eyes and looked back to his friends, all of whom were grinning at him, though Toby was giving him an odd smile.

"Were you just...?" he asked, pointing to the sky. Xander nodded.

"Direct conversations with your Titan. Not something many can boast."

"Actually, just you," Vida added. "None of us have actually met ours yet."

"Hopefully, you won't have to. I only met Viscan because I was turned into a tree." Another strange look from Toby. "Long story. Ends with me learning not to be so vain. In the middle, I was a tree."

"You guys lead really weird lives, don't you?" Nods all around.

"The life of a Power Ranger is anything but normal as it is, and we're magicians to boot. Normal life in the forest dimension is like one of Chip's fantasy books here."

"Yeah, isn't it awesome?" the Yellow Wizard added, nodding vigorously. "We have magic in our regular lives now. It's just a part of how we live. Nick's a human space heater, I can turn on any electronic by looking at it, Xander could bench Vida's jeep with ease -"

"Don't give him any ideas."

"- Maddie can see the future and Vida can shapeshift. None of us could live without it now. It'd just feel weird. And now that you know, your life won't be normal any more. The longer you're in on it, the weirder life gets."

"Like being assaulted by a former vampire queen?" They all smiled.

"Exactly. It's already begun," Maddie said, "and you've only known a week."

"Welcome to our world," Vida snarked. "Magic, monsters and randomly burning hamburgers."

"I said I was sorry," interjected Nick. "It was an accident." Xander patted his friend's shoulder genially.

"It's okay, mate. It was only a hamburger. Better it than me."

"Randomly burning hamburgers?" Nick sighed.

"Another long story. I got pissed and accidentally set Xander's hamburger on fire yesterday at lunch. That kind of thing just happens when I'm angry. I'm getting better at controlling it, though."

"Good thing, too. I don't think you can magic away damage on food, and we can't afford to buy new lunches every time some peeves you."

"Watch it," Nick playfully said to his girlfriend, firing up his finger as if it were a lighter. Maddie only grinned back, holding up her own hand where a swirling ball of water hovered.

"I'd like to see you try, match boy," she countered. Before anything destructive could result from their playful words, Vida blew out Nick's flame and Chip gave Maddie a little zap, enough to startle her. The aquatic orb in her palm lost its shape, falling down onto her lap with a splash. Her surprised yelp made the others giggle, but Chip abruptly stopped when it rose from her clothes and dropped onto him. The rest laughed now, Chip himself smiling as he intensified his electrical field to ionize the water droplets with a hiss. If not for the copious amounts of mousse in it, Vida's hair would've drifted toward the young magician.

Thin lines of steam wafted up and around him, but before anyone could comment, the sound of knocking echoed throughout the store. Each head snapped to the door, realizing that there was someone there. Catching their eyes, the young woman tapped on her wrist impatiently. Toby glanced to the clock a moment later, realizing that he'd only shut the shop down for an hour and that hour had been up a few minutes ago. Gaze back on his employees, he shrugged.

"As... informative as this has been, I can't stay closed much longer. Bad for business and whatnot. Besides, I have employees that have work to do, at least until a monster attacks." As they smiled, so did he, moving over to the front door to unlock it. The impatient girl sauntered in and over to a CD rack while they all assumed their regular positions, glad to have their little Q and A session off of their backs. For some, though, the questions weren't over quite yet.

* * *

From her spot on the couch, she heard the front door creak open, and she peeked over the edge of her book to make sure it wasn't just her imagination. Sometimes it ran away with her when she got really into a book.

"Home already?" Gracey asked, catching a glimpse of a black leather jacket over the top of the couch.

"No, I'm not," Nick shot back. "I'm just a random monster come to destroy you, but I decided to come in the front door instead of teleporting or just breaking in." He leaned over the loveseat and smiled at her. "'Course I'm home. Who else would show up at ten at night?" She gave him a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows and he responded with fake gagging. "I've decided I'd rather not know -"

"That's probably best."

"- and if that's all, I'm going to crash."

"At ten? Wimp." He rolled his eyes at her.

"I have to be in class by eight, and it's been a long day, Miss 'I Don't Have to Wake Up Until Noon if I Don't Want to.' So if you don't mind, I'm going to go collapse on my bed now." When she said nothing, he began to move down the hall, but she wasn't done yet.

"Actually, there's something we need to talk about," she stated. He came back into the room, a strange look on his face. Her tone of voice didn't instill a great lot of confidence in him about this conversation.

"What's up?" he asked, sounding as nonchalant as possible.

"The school called today. They said you were missing during the attack. Wanted to know where you went. Where were you, Nick?" Her words were rushed but authoritative, like they would never come out if she didn't say them now. She usually didn't have a problem with discipline, but it was usually she and Nick getting in trouble together.

"I was there," he lied. "We were all hiding in the first spot we found."

"Why didn't you just go to the right spot?"

"We didn't think about it. This was our first attack during school you know."

"That doesn't matter. If it happens again, the school's going to do something about it. And so will I," she added. As forceful as she was, doling out real threats and punishments to her little brother felt weird. In the few months he'd been living with her, he'd generally kept out of trouble, so threats that weren't jokes had never come up. Still, she was firm. "Those safety measures are there for a reason. You really don't want to get smashed by a giant monster, do you?" He snorted at her comment. It was hard to be smashed by something when you were their size.

"Believe me, I don't think it'll be a problem," he replied. She stared at him.

"You're not invincible, Nick. We live in a dangerous city with all these monsters and giant robots. You can't expect to be perfectly safe every day." Again, he laughed. No day was safe for him. While everyone else got to go hide, he and his friends had to go fight whatever new monster was thrown their way.

"Tell me about it," he muttered. "Is that all?" Stare turned to glare as he leaned calmly against a wall.

"Is that all?" she repeated, anger rising in her voice. "What's wrong with you? How can you just brush this off? There was an attack today and you were missing. They couldn't find you anywhere. Do you know what I thought when they said that? I thought that went out there and tried to be a damn hero. You're my responsibility. What would I do if something happened to you?"

"I am eighteen, you know."

"No, you aren't. Your birthday is tomorrow. Until then, you're legally my responsibility. After that, Mom and Dad are still counting on me to watch over you." Tone softening, she added, "Besides, you're my little brother. It's my duty as a sister to make sure you don't get blown up by the newest invading force of evil." He grinned lightly.

"I know," he said. "Just believe me when I promise you that I'll be okay, okay?" She reluctantly nodded. "Good. Now can I go to sleep?"

"Only if you insist."

"Thanks." He placed a quick kiss on her cheek. "Good night, Gracey."

"Good night, " she echoed, watching him walk away. She just hoped she could trust his promise.

* * *

_A/N_ - Hihi! It's been a while. Not too much to say. Sorry about the wait. I try not to take too long, but this chapter is extra long-ish. Yeah, bad excuse. Ah well. Shout out to Joe, my demented love, who so patiently put up with me while I typed this. Love you! The next chapter is the action portion of the Gatekeeper arc. Everything goes to hell in Chapter Six, and it's a good lot of fun.

But until then, enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N_ - I know, I know, it's been forever. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I lost this muse for a while, but I finally got her back about a month and a half ago. In between school and life, I've been doing my best to keep up with my myriad fics (some haven't seen the light of day yet). For the record, I'm not giving up on this one. I'm still invested in it and what I plan to write, so don't expect me to just give up.

Anyway, I sat down to type this chapter a few minutes ago, wrote that last bit, and realized that was the perfect place to end it. The chapter was overly long on paper (imagine about eighty pages or twenty on Word), so I decided to split it up. You guys deserve something for being so patient with me. Alas, that means this chapter and the next will be a little shorter than usual. I hope you guys don't mind.

Gotta wrap this up and edit. Enjoy, and til next time (whenever it may be!)

* * *

"_Lua ozu_!" Clare shouted, aiming her wand at the scarecrow. A short beam of lavender light burst from the crescent moon crystal on the tip and hit the poor mass of cloth and straw, leaving a sizzling hole in its chest.

"Very good, Clare," Udonna commented, smiling at her former apprentice. "You catch on rather quickly." The blonde smiled back.

"I have a good teacher." Udonna shook her head, abashed.

"You are your own teacher now. I am only here to assist you." Now it was Clare's turn to shake her head.

"You'll always be my teacher. Even when I couldn't do anything right, you kept me going. I don't know where I'd be without you." Her aunt blushed.

"I always knew you had potential. You are just proving now how right I was."

"I just hope I'm ready in time. We don't exactly know when they'll attack. What if I'm not ready by then?" Despite the doubt in her niece's words, Udonna maintained a small, firm smile.

"I have no doubt that you'll be ready, whether you think so or not. You underestimate yourself." Clare smiled again, wandering over to the bench where her aunt sat and taking a seat next to her.

For the past two days, she'd been training fiercely, preparing for the inevitable battle Madison had foreseen. She'd progressed farther in these two days than she had since she first chose snow magic. Finding her true element made a world of difference. While they'd covered many of the basics of her new branch, most of their time now was focused on defensive and offensive spells, along with fighting techniques. It had been both intense and exhilarating, no matter how sore she was when she went to bed each night. Now, sitting on the wooden bench and taking a moment to rest, she laid a warm blanket over the Fire Heart egg like the book instructed and sighed.

"Was Mom ready when it was her time to fight?" she asked quietly. "Did she go out there and know she could do it?" At the mention of her sister, Udonna glanced into the sky, staring out into the blue nothingness as if the Great Battle was reenacting itself up there.

"Your mother had her doubts, just as all of the Mystics did, but when the time came, she did what needed to be done because she knew no one else could. In the end, she was too weakened from fighting, but she knew she had to seal the Gates, so she gave the rest of her life so we could in peace as long as her magic held."

"But did she die in vain? The Gates are cracked now."

"Never," the elder sorceress stated, a bit too harshly. "Her death was not in vain. She knew that it couldn't hold forever, not so long as the prophecies held up, and yet she still willingly died so we could have time. They all did. Without all of their sacrifices, this war would have happened much sooner, and victory would be no more than a pipe dream. Because of them, we have assembled more than half of the foreseen Mystic Force and trained them well."

"Do you have any idea who the rest are?" Udonna shook her head.

"Honestly, I have no idea. Daggeron and Calindor, if they are still alive, are the avatars for Solus and Reiku, and we are unsure if Fortis still favors Leanbow."

"What about you? Don't you represent Cias?" Udonna glanced down from the sky, a small smile on her lips.

"Indeed I do. I no longer have my Snow Staff, though. I can be her avatar, but not her Ranger. Right now, I am meant to train you and the Rangers, not be on the battlefield. Who knows?" she posed, looking back to the clear blue space above them. "Maybe one day that will change." Clare nodded, leaning back and joining her aunt in staring into the sky.

"I hope so," she replied. "Everything's so different now. Just a few months ago, it was just you and I, the way it had been ever since I was little. Now we have Nick, Uncle Leanbow and all the Rangers around all the time." She paused, laughing lightly to herself. "You know, until a month ago, I thought Nick was just apart of my imagination, something I dreamed up because he was never around and you never mentioned him. I like knowing he's real. I feel like we missed having the family around that we should have all because of the war, and it's nice to have some of them around again. Having all of them around is nice. It makes it feel so much more alive." Udonna nodded vaguely.

"It is truly good to have such a group with us, for they all seem like family now," she murmured. "So much like the Mystics of long ago."

"How touching," a new voice sneered, "but they are long dead, and your new warriors are nothing in comparison." The pair of women jumped up from their seat to see the arrival. Though neither had met her before, they knew without a doubt that it was Necrolai. Nick had relayed the details of yesterday's encounter to his family last night, including a good description of her new form. If Udonna's ability to put two and two together was still as sharp as it had once been, and there was no doubt that it was, than this was also the woman Madison had seen fighting Clare in her vision.

"What do you want, Necrolai?" Udonna shouted. The other woman smiled condescendingly.

"So you know who I am. Kudos, White Witch, but it will not help you. Hand over the Gatekeeper."

"You know such a demand is futile. I would rather die than give her up." Necrolai smirked cruelly.

"If you wish. Ha!" A sizzling bolt of violet energy burst from her fingertips, and Udonna barely managed to dodge it. Instead, it caught the hem of her dress, burning away at the immaculate white fabric. Already the mentor's wand was out, snowflake tip glowing with bright white light.

"_Orellus ci_!" she shouted. A jagged spike of ice shot out from the tip, catching the former Vampire Queen in the shoulder. The thick leather of her suit protected her from actually being cut, but she stumbled back with the force.

"Very nice, White Witch, but not enough," she leered, brushing ice crystals off her shoulder. "_Capio_!" From her fingertips flew a golden bubble, hurtling toward Clare. In an instant, the blonde had fallen to the ground and Udonna was hit by the spell instead. It shrunk to a tiny orb, floating back to the caster. Clare pushed herself up from the dirt, glaring at the lean woman.

"Give her back!" she demanded, holding her wand out threateningly. Necrolai laughed.

"No chance, apprentice. She is not who I intended to capture, but with such a powerful sorceress in my grasp, surely the Gatekeeper will come out to save her." Clare glared at the masked witch, shaking all over, but resisted the urge to admit that she was the Gatekeeper. To give herself up now would be an end-all to all their efforts so far, and she knew Udonna wouldn't even think of doing that.

"I'm warning you!" she shouted shakily. "Give Udonna back." Necrolai only cackled in response.

"Just tell the Gatekeeper to meet me in battle, or Udonna the White shall never see daylight again." Throwing her free arm out in a wide gesture, she grinned. "Another time, apprentice. _Uthe sastos_!" A dark seal opened under her feet as Clare threw her spell. The pair disappeared into oblivion as the spell whizzed through where they had been, blasting a good chunk out of a tree instead.

A moment passed, her brain trying to process what had just occurred. She stumbled weakly back to the bench, running a hand through her hair mindlessly. Coherent thoughts finally began forming in her mind a minute later, most of them berating her for all the things she could've done differently. Udonna was gone. She was barely trained. Now she was being called out to fight. This was unbelievable.

"What am I going to do?"

* * *

"Now, let's move on to the next poem. Turn to page 358 and begin reading. We'll discuss it in a few minutes." Madison wearily opened her book to the assigned page, but her eyes refused to focus on the words. Her pounding headache had returned, which she was sure wasn't a good thing at all, and it was only serving to make this the longest day of school she'd ever experienced. Being here was doing her no good, but after four Tylenol from the office, she had no excuse to go home. That left her sitting in her English class, trying to concentrate on the poetry in her book and failing horribly.

Finally she gave up, counting on the fact that she had a high enough grade and understanding of the subject to zone out for one day, and looked around the classroom. It took a minute to register in her hazy mind, but something was terribly wrong. Everyone was frantically pushing their way out of the room, the teacher shouting for them to leave in an orderly fashion. Over her voice, Maddie could make out the distinct whine of the monster alarm. When did that come on?

At that moment, something else clicked in her mind: this was the future. Not very far in the future, seeing as the same class was still in session and the teacher was in the same outfit. Maddie glanced up at the clock. Two-sixteen. Only five minutes in the future. Great. How was she going to deal with this? A knowledge of the future meant she could and had to do something about it before it happened. Unfortunately, she would still be stuck in class in five minutes.

Shaking her head to help the vision fade away, she gazed around the classroom for a second, amazed by how much difference a few minutes could make, and then raised her hand. The teacher looked up from her book at the student.

"Yes, Madison?"

"Can I use the restroom?"

"Do you have a pass?" Maddie held up her passbook. "Good. Then you can go." Grabbing her purse, Maddie walked casually out of the room, but broke into a full sprint once she was out of sight. The bathroom wasn't far away, and she quickly ducked into a stall, wand in hand. It would be too obvious if she called everyone else, seeing as they were all in class, but with a cell phone, there were other ways of communicating. No matter what, she had to prepare them. She had a feeling that today was going to be a long day.

* * *

Nick twiddled his pen between his fingers in boredom. It wasn't that he hated Government; he just got bored after five minutes of taking notes. Action was more his thing, or at least more action than he was seeing now, which was technically any.

Like a cosmic answer to his desperation, the familiar chime of his phone broke the relative silence in the class. Everyone turned to look at him, including the teacher, Mrs. Teeves.

"Mr. Russell, turn your phone off or I'll take it away," she stated evenly. He nodded obligingly, but he had it open under his desk as soon as she'd turned away. He had a text from Maddie, of all things. Sending texts in the middle of class wasn't usually her sort of thing. Something must be up.

Before he could open it, the sharp voice of his teacher caught his attention from his immediate left. Hastily, he pushed the phone back under his desk and out of sight.

"Mr. Russell, I'll be taking that now," she said, holding out her hand. Thinking on his toes, he murmured the first spell that came to mind under his breath.

"_Utum zore_," he said, echoing the spell his mother had used when they first became Rangers to give them more modern wands. Now he needed it to be something entirely different, as long as it wasn't suspicious. He felt it change in his hand, shrinking down to whatever its new form was.

"Now, Mr. Russell," she demanded. "Give it to me." Pulling his hand back out, he opened his palm and raised his eyebrows.

"You mean this?" he replied, glancing down at what it was now. In his palm lay a golden ring, a small red phoenix crystal inlaid on top. "It's just a ring. You must be imagining things, Mrs. T." She scowled at him, snatching it out of his hand and looking it over. Finally, she shoved it back into his palm disgustedly and went back teaching. He held it under the desk again, willing the message to show up. Words etched themselves into the air just above it, hovering with a soft golden glow. It was a short, urgent message, telling each of them to be ready for an attack, and to get out of class if they could. Nick sighed and glanced at the severe teacher, putting on the ring so it wouldn't seem suspicious. Much like the silver ring he wore on his other hand, this one was warm against his finger, but it was a different warmth than the aura of heat he seemed to generate without realizing it. It was calming, putting him at ease despite the feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him today was going to go to hell quickly, and he raised his hand with confidence.

"Can I go to my locker?" he asked. She sighed heavily, rubbing her temples.

"Please do," she muttered. Grinning, he got up.

"Thanks, Mrs. T." Out of the room without hesitation, he murmured, "_Cuspis ut Madison_." Lighting up red from within, the heat from the ring intensified and a bright red arrow of light jumped up from the depths, pointing down the hallway to his right. He followed the arrow, breaking into a run in that direction. As he reached a corner, it again pointed to his right, straight to the girls bathroom. He hesitated in front of the door, opting to just lean on the wall next to it.

_Maddie_, he mentally probed. _What's going on?_ Her response was different from usual, an echo of a smile paired with a sigh.

_I had a vision,_ she responded wearily. _I think it was the big battle. It's going to happen in the next few minutes._

_And why did you text me? We do have this telepathy thing going on, you know._ She shrugged sheepishly.

_Sorry. Got caught up in the moment and sent the text to all of you._

_It's okay, _he replied with a smile. _Saved it from Teeves' wrath, fortunately. Changed it into a ring before she could confiscate it as a phone._ He felt her smile.

_Very nice,_ she said. _But sorry about Teeves. I forgot you had her this hour. The others should get off easier._

_Speaking of which..._ The sound of shoes echoed down the hallway, a more frequent noise than that of someone walking. Chip appeared around the corner, almost running into Nick.

"Did you get Maddie's message, too?" he whispered, backing up a bit from the friend he'd almost plowed over.

"No, I'm just stalking outside the girls bathroom for kicks," Nick shot back. Chip grinned.

"So she's in there, then?"

"Not anymore," she responded, the door creaking open. Nick smiled and grabbed her hand.

"So what exactly are we looking at here? Giant monster, ogre, more zombie invasions?" Chip asked, an eager undertone to his words. She shook her head.

"Bigger than that. I think this is the big attack, the one I've been seeing for a few days now. It's going to be bigger than anything we've seen yet." The guys frowned.

"Great," Nick muttered. "A fun day ahead of us, I guess."

"Really?" came Xander's voice, turning everyone's heads toward him. Both he and Vida walked toward the small group, frowning as well. "What kind of fun?"

"The kind that involves magic and zombies," Chip replied.

"So our kind of fun?"

"You know it."

"What exactly are we going up against?" Vida asked, glancing at the clock above them. Maddie smiled.

"We're about to find out," she said. On cue, the screech of alarms resounded through the halls. The sound of desks jumping across the floor and people panicking made them smile, but Nick broke the moment.

"We need to get out of here," he stated. "Maddie, can you take Vida?" She nodded, knowing what he meant.

"Let's go, V," she said, turning to look at her boyfriend. "See you there." Pulling her twin into the bathroom with her, she checked around to make sure they were alone.

"What are you doing?" Vida asked, giving Maddie a strange look.

"We're teleporting out of here. Wouldn't want to get caught."

"But why the bathroom?" Maddie grinned at her sister.

"No cameras, no way to catch us." She held out her hand. "Now let's go." Vida took her hand. "_Uthe sastos_." The twins disappeared in a blue and gold seal, reappearing where the new attack was beginning. The guys landed next to them, glancing around at the destruction thus far.

"Downtown again," Nick muttered. "Always downtown. Can't we go somewhere where we don't have to worry about property damage?"

"Get over it," Maddie replied. "When you start the fight, you can choose the place." He smiled mischievously at her, but she didn't return the expression, only staring out into the devastation.

They were standing in the center of the plaza, but it was different than usual. Smoldering holes pockmarked the buildings, a spattering of debris on the ground. Someone had really let loose here.

"Admiring my handiwork, Rangers?" mocked a voice from behind them. In unison, they turned to face the woman, already knowing who she was.

"What's this all about, Necrolai?" Nick demanded. "Your last little attack failed, so why would this time be any different?" She smiled.

"I'm just here to add some extra incentive to draw out the Gatekeeper. Such a good being couldn't sit back and let such a terrible thing happen. Besides," she added with a devious smirk, "this is just icing on the cake. I already have the White Sorceress." Nick went livid.

"Give her back," he commanded, eyes flashing a dangerous red. Necrolai only smirked.

"I don't think so, Red Wizard. She is a spoil of our imminent victory, and reason enough for the Gatekeeper to reveal herself." His look of hatred only intensified.

"Give her back," he ordered again through gritted teeth. The aura of heat around him, usually under control, burst out with his increasing anger. Those around him didn't move an inch, used to the natural extension of his powers. Necrolai only smirked at him.

"Aw, is the ickle Red Ranger getting angry?" she cooed. "Does he want his mommy back?" His eyes burned like hot coals now. "Well, I don't think you'll be getting her back anytime soon. If you're lucky, I'll leave her body somewhere you can find it."

"This isn't a request," Nick stated, fighting with all his willpower against the urge to tear her apart. "Give her back to us now, or I swear you will spend every moment of your existence regretting it." The black-clad witch gave a sharp bark of laughter.

"You have your father's fervor, Red Wizard, but empty threats mean nothing to me. The White Witch will die." His hand burst into flames unbidden, a veil of red swallowing his vision, and he was about to lunge at her, but something held him back. A cool hand grasped his, drawing his attention to it momentarily. It was sheathed in a quickly evaporating layer of water, sending a sheet of steam between him and its owner, but he knew who it was. Turning his eyes back to Necrolai as the red in his vision faded, he squeezed Maddie's hand in silent thanks and grabbed his wand.

"You guys ready?" he asked, not looking to the others. Right now, all he wanted to do was shut the raven-haired witch up, even if going in blindly was the wrong way of going about it.

"Ready," they answered, flipping open their wands.

"Magical source, Mystic Force!" Seals in their respective colors whooshed down them, leaving behind the five Mystic Rangers.

"Ooh, terrifying," Necrolai sneered, flipping a piece of hair out of her face. "Fortunately, I have some power of my own." Throwing her arms out dramatically, a black smoke began to roil up around her from the ground, encasing her body like a lightless cocoon. Just as quickly as it had appeared, it began to fade away, leaving her exactly as she had been before.

"Wow, we can't beat that," Vida replied dryly. "She has black smoke on her side." The villainess threw her head back, laughing maniacally, and the smoke reappeared along her open arms, forming a weapon on each appendage while the excess siphoned into her body. "...Or not."

"My master is good to me," the witch cackled, admiring her new weapons. "With his power, I will bring your downfall, and the Gatekeeper will emerge. Now fight me," she commanded. "This bickering is becoming boring." She threw a blast of violet energy at the closest building, sending a maelstrom of dust and metal down around them. Her overeagerness betrayed her, though, as the debris created the perfect cover under which to attack her.

They moved swiftly and quietly, surrounding the villainess with weapons drawn. The quickly fading cover of dust gave away their positions, but it was too late for Necrolai. Each lunged inward, their own attack prepared. Maddie and Nick stabbed and slashed at her, Xander swung a mighty chop, Vida summoned a whirlwind, stirring a haze of dust once again, and Chip, most vicious of all, charged his most powerful arrow of pure lightning and let it fly. Simultaneously, the clash of metal and crack of thunder resounded, followed by an eruption of sparks all around. Some of their attacks connected with the armor of their intended target, but she caught both Nick and Xander, tossing them away at the same time. Maddie covered her boyfriend's lost ground, aiming a high kick for Necrolai's head. The villainess ducked, sweeping Vida's legs. The Pink Ranger fell, Necrolai right on top of her with an ivory blade to her throat.

"Say goodbye, dear Sprite," she whispered, raising her arm to strike. Vida struggled against her captor to no avail, shoulders pinned and legs in no position to do anything useful. Before the black-clad woman could strike, a bright blast of light struck her in the head, knocking her off the Pink Ranger. Chip grinned under his helmet, stepping through the smoke.

"I'd leave her alone if I were you," he stated evenly, voice not without a hint of playful derision. She stood up and scowled at him as he helped Vida up.

"Your threats mean nothing to me. Ha!" She threw her arm out, a disk of purple energy flying out at them. It caught both Rangers, tossing them into a wall with a small but spectacular burst of flames. The pair fell hard, Chip landing on top of Vida.

"Sorry," he grunted after a moment, picking himself up without realizing their compromising position.

"No problem," she murmured back, seeming distracted by something. He gave her a strange look, which she could vaguely perceive even through their darkened visors, and stood up, holding a hand out to her.

"C'mon," he said. "We're not done with this bitch yet." His vindictive tone was enough to stir her, and she took his hand.

"Right. Let's do this." Together they reentered the fray, avoiding the follow through of one of Necrolai's kicks and Vida landing one of her own on the back of the villainess' knee. Necrolai collapsed forward, landing on her knees and giving Xander time to slice at her back. Sparks danced around the point of impact, her back arching in pain, but that wasn't near enough to stop her. An arm lashed out to her right, throwing the approaching Madison away. Wasting less than a second, Nick delivered a swift kick under her chin, throwing her backwards. She turned this to her advantage, back flipping onto her feet. She rubbed her chin distractedly.

"Good, Rangers, but not enough." She elbowed Chip, who had moved silently behind her, in the gut, sending him reeling back, and at the same time deflected Nick's blade with her forearm. The dual blades on her left arm connected with his stomach, throwing him away effortlessly. The rest went down just as easily, regrouping across from her and gripping their wands.

"She's a lot stronger than the last time I fought her," Chip grumbled. "And I wasn't even morphed then."

"Then you had the one thing that could kill her and she wasn't pumped up by some new master. Things are a bit different now," Vida muttered. Nick shook his head.

"Doesn't matter," he stated. "She's going down either way."

"But how?"

"I'm not sure yet," he admitted, mind filtering through the slew of ideas as rapidly as it could.

Across from them, Necrolai faked a yawn.

"This is becoming tedious. What do you say we end it?" She grinned deviously. "_Rava mejor_!" From both of her weapons shot bright beams of dark violet, almost black, light, hitting each Ranger in the chest. They flew back more than twenty feet, skidding through the fireball that had erupted at the same time. As the smoke cleared, none stood up, only grasping at their wounds and trying to move without causing themselves excruciating pain. Necrolai sneered at them. "Ah, how the mighty have fallen. You're hardly a challenge anymore." Her grin turned to a cruel smirk. "Maybe I should just put you out of your misery." As she stalked over to them, weapons raised and ready to strike, another voice rose from across the plaza, firm and commanding.

"I don't think so, hag."

* * *

Wandering into Root Core, Clare was dazed and hardly aware of what she was doing. She dropped into a chair at the main table and lowered her head onto her arms, which rested on the wooden surface. For many uncounted minutes, she didn't move at all, and was only prompted to do so when Leanbow rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay, child?" he asked gently, unaware of what had gone on outside his very home. Without looking up, she shook her head.

"Nothing's alright," she whispered. "And I don't know how I can fix any of it." Perplexed, he took a seat next to his niece.

"What happened?" At first, she didn't respond, but when she finally did, her voice was shaky at best.

"She took Udonna," she answered. Instantly, Leanbow stiffened.

"Who? Who took her?" he inquired, grave now. This wasn't a minor trifle, as he'd originally thought it to be. Many a magician-in-training thought it was the end of the world when they couldn't master a spell. This, though, this was truly serious.

"Necrolai," the blonde managed. "She showed up and took Aunt Udonna." She paused, letting out a shuddering sigh. "And it's my fault. Necrolai is using her to draw me out. She wants the Gatekeeper." This time, her uncle didn't respond. She couldn't see it, but the crystal ball had become very active. Necrolai was downtown now, and the Rangers had shown up.

"Damn," the elder wizard muttered, glancing back to Clare. She was a wreck, and hardly trained in her new magic, but she had been called into battle and Necrolai was relentless. He had seen her fight before - she would continue until someone broke down, no matter who it was. The only way to stop her rampage was to give her what she wanted. But was Clare ready? She had barely two days experience, and yet she was so much stronger than most gave her credit for. He could only hope she had the will to go into battle.

"Clare?" he said quietly, shaking her shoulder. "Clare, I need you to see something." She hesitantly sat up, eyes falling on the crystal ball.

"She back again," she stated, fearful.

"Yes, she is, and she won't give up until she gets what she is after."

"Me."

"Yes. Until you meet her in battle, she will attack the Rangers and Briarwood with everything she has." She stared with hollow eyes into the swirling depths. "Only you can end that," Leanbow stated, gesturing to the images within the ball. Her gazed turned to him, a bit startled by his frankness. "Now, I'm sure the Rangers will overcome her eventually, and no one will think the less of you if you stay here, but it is within your power to end this destruction now."

"But what can I do?" she asked, a lining of despondence in her voice. "I barely have any training. I can hardly fight."

"I believe that you can. You are so much more capable than you realize. I know that and so does Udonna. We both trust you with this. Have you ever known Udonna to misplace her trust?"

"Well, no..."

"So why would this time be any different? In these few short days, she has given you the skills she though necessary to face this threat. You have all the training you need." A hint of confidence touched her features, a welcome look in the stead of empty despondence.

"But what am I supposed to do out there?" He grinned.

"Fight. Fight tooth and nail with every bit of heart you have. Show her that you're nothing to be toyed with." She smiled back now.

"You're right. I need to stop her now. Briarwood and the Rangers don't need this kind of punishment because of me. I have to go face Necrolai." His grin widened.

"Brilliant," he said. "I'll go see if Leelee's in. Might as well get all the help we can." He dashed up the stairs to the living quarters, leaving Clare to wait alone. Her eyes drifted around the room without a real destination, but something caught her attention.

A lavender light hovered unevenly within one of the many built-in cupboards, irresistibly drawing her to it. As she approached it, more details became clear. Arcing from each side of the light was a band of polished silver, meeting opposite the point of origin to form a shimmering circlet. She opened the glass-paned door and gently took hold of it, the light fading as she did so. It revealed a dazzling purple gemstone, set within the silver itself, which was inlaid with an intricate, intertwining pattern of lines. Never had she seen anything so simple and yet so gorgeous.

"Found her," interrupted the voice of Leanbow, bounding down the stairs with Leelee close behind. He looked to his niece, then to the object she held, and smiled. "Good, you've found it. That saves me the time of trying to find it." She looked down at it with curiosity.

"What is it?" she inquired. "I've never seen it before." Her uncle's smile fell a bit, a sadness on the corners of his lips.

"It belonged to your mother. Your father forged it for her to hold that crystal."

"My father?" she repeated, interest piqued. She had heard very little of her father, as most stories told by Udonna and others mainly concerned with her mother and her prominent role as Gatekeeper during the Great War. All she knew was that he died during the Great Battle, and that his family had met similar demises. She never pushed her aunt about it, knowing how difficult it was for her to remember everyone she lost. Of course, with both Nick and Leanbow back, not to mention Leelee, Phineas and the other Rangers hanging around, Udonna seemed more able to speak of the family long gone, but Clare had never thought to question her about it. Those questions had long been regarded as ones that would never receive an answer, at least in her mind.

"Yes, your father. He was the best smith we had. Could make anything we needed - weapons, jewelry, utensils, everything. He made that circlet for your mother so it would be easier to take the gem into battle with her." Clare looked confused, but Leelee's face lit up.

"That's the Selenian Star, isn't it?" Leanbow nodded. "Oh, wow. It's way prettier in person." Clare looked to the silver band in her hands, realization dawning on her face.

"This is the Selenian Star?" Again, her uncle nodded in the affirmative. "Wow is right. The books do it no justice at all. It's gorgeous."

"Your father's work only enhances it. Niella wore it with great pride, and I'm sure you will too." Clare gave her uncle a bewildered look.

"You want me to wear it out there?" she asked, disbelieving.

"It would be downright improper for a Gatekeeper not to. Circlet or not, that crystal is to you what the wands are to the Rangers. It channels the weapons and armor of the Gatekeeper to you. Going into battle without it would be wrong."

"But it's so beautiful. What if it's damaged?" Leanbow shook his head.

"Dear child, it survived the Great War. One little skirmish won't destroy it." Reluctantly, the blonde sorceress nodded, eyes still on the adornment.

"You're right," she said, looking up seriously. "Let's go, Leelee." The blonde duo made their way to the door, Leanbow right behind them.

"Don't think you're doing this without me," he said. "As much fun as it is staying here and reading, my place is on the battlefield." Stopping and turning to the dark-haired man, Clare shook her head.

"No, Uncle Leanbow, you need to stay here. If, Ancients forbid, something happens to Udonna, you need to be here to train us." His smile fell, replaced by a grim frown. "We can't do this alone." He opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a hand. "No, don't argue. If you go out there and die, and we lose Udonna on top of it, I can't promise that any of us will be able to control what Nick might do, not even Madison. He could destroy the darkness and the light without discretion just because he lost his family. If not for us as the Mystic Force, then for us as a family. When things really get bad, like Maddie says they will, then you can join us. Bring Phineas, too. Like you said, we need all the help we can get." His frown faded to a small smile as he nodded in understanding.

"You're right. I know you're right. I'm just itching to see real battle again. It feels like an eternity." He stared longingly into the polished steel of his sword, then glanced up at his niece with a small smile. "Go. The Rangers need you." The blondes turned away, but he wasn't quite done yet. "Clare?" She paused. "We're all proud of you. This is a difficult situation you've been placed in, and you're facing it bravely. We trust you to do what needs to be done." She gave him a small smile.

"I know." Leelee changed without a word into her armor and opened a spell seal while Clare hugged her uncle, and like that, they were gone. Watching the spot they had just vanished from, Leanbow sighed.

"Godspeed."

* * *

Turning slowly, the sneer plastered on Necrolai's mask now matched the one on her lips.

"Why, hello apprentice. Come to try and save your precious sorceress?"

"We're not going to try," Leelee shot back, stepping from behind Clare. "We're going to get Udonna back." Necrolai's sneer turned to a scowl.

"Hello, daughter. Cavorting with the enemy, I see."

"You're right. I'm talking to you, aren't I?" The former queen's eyes narrowed.

"So be it. You've chosen your side. Remember that in the end, my dear."

"Give Udonna back," Clare ordered, breaking the mother and daughter's icy glares.

"What exactly will you do about it, apprentice?" Clare smirked.

"I'm more than an apprentice, hag." She held up the circlet, Necrolai's eyes going wide. "I'm a Gatekeeper." She set it gently over her golden curls before anyone else could react. In an instant, her clothes had changed, becoming a black bodice over a purple tunic and white dress, a pair of soft leather shoes and a purple headdress over her hair, held down by the circlet. For a fraction of a second, her eyes flashed a bright purple.

"Power of the shining moon, I am the Gatekeeper," she stated, taking a hold of the silver staff that materialized before her. Necrolai stared disbelievingly.

"You are the Gatekeeper?" she asked, unable to keep the shock out of her words. "So that is why the White Sorceress was so intent on protecting you." In the background of the whole exchange, the Rangers had joined the duo, and now stood around them.

"It's good to see you," Nick said. "But what're you doing here? You're her target."

"I know," Clare answered. "But I had to come, otherwise she'd keep beating on you guys and the buildings. I couldn't sit around while you guys were in trouble and I could do something about it." Nick smiled.

"Thanks. I see you brought some help." Leelee smiled under her mask.

"It's my fight, too. Anything to protect my friends."

"How touching," Necrolai scoffed. "But no amount of reinforcements will help you now."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Clare replied. "You wanted to fight me. Here I am."

"You are too overconfident. It will be your downfall."

"Try me." With no other words, Necrolai threw out her arms, dark violet light burst from her blades, whizzing past the group and hitting the ground behind them. The resulting explosion was enough to knock them forward and leave a cloud of dust hanging in the air. Through it, the Rangers could barely see the forms of Necrolai and Clare, already recovered, duking it out. Kicks, punches and blasts made scantily audible sounds, and the fight was soon joined by Leelee. The little spectacle didn't last long for the Rangers, though, because it was then that a group of Hidiacs and Styxoids broke through the dust. This brought the Rangers to their feet hastily, weapons drawn.

"Back to action," Nick muttered.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N_ - Sorry 'bout the long wait again. I blame school, work and laziness. This chapter is shorter than the rest, but at least it's a chapter, eh? I'm not sure I like it that much, but it is a lot of fighting, which is my worst area. My next update will be to the companion piece to this story and CoD, Rangers of Chaos. That's another reason why this took so long. It's a two-parter that gives the background of the original Mystic Warriors. You know, Udonna, Niella, Leanbow, Daggie, Calindor–those guys. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Nick in the lead, the Rangers jumped back into battle, taking on the fresh horde of zombies. Nick and Xander took on single Styxoids, while the others cleaved through Hidiacs by the dozen. It was relatively simple enough, their average hack and slash fight, a few kicks and punches thrown in for zest, but it did the job in distracting them from the real fight at hand.

Clare and Leelee were doing fairly well, considering their opponent, but Necrolai was still more experienced than either blonde. She had more than four hundred years under her belt while they had a collective forty-one. Fortunately, Necrolai was just human; they both held prominent positions in the magical world. It was almost an even fight. Almost.

Necrolai threw a particularly vicious right hook, connecting solidly with her daughter's cheek and throwing her back. Clare jabbed the villainess in return, running the solid silver staff she wielded into her opponent's gut. It sparked on contact, sending her reeling back, clutching her stomach.

"Foul witch," she spat, malice dripping from her words.

"That's nothing," Clare replied, raising her staff. "Full Moon Strike!" A disk of luminescent purple energy shot from its tip like a saw blade, striking its target with enough force to throw her back. She crashed into the glass side of a building, dropping like a stone as glass shattered around her. Clare smiled smugly. "Wanna call me an apprentice again?" Necrolai stood up slowly, hatred in her eyes and blood dripping from a few places.

"I underestimated you, young one. You are not as inept as you look. I shall not make that mistake again."

"You won't have the time," Chip stated, joining Clare and Leelee, along with the other Rangers. The last of the zombies dissolved into a cloud of black smoke, leaving the teens free to attack their original target.

"Give up, Necrolai," Vida added, taking a place next to Chip. "You're even more useless now that you don't have your powers."

"It's not like you're ever going to get Clare," Madison said.

"So why don't you just give it up?" Nick appended. "We'll just keep beating you down until you surrender or die. We're not going to back down, so why don't you leave while you still have some dignity?" She only smirked at them.

"Nice try, Rangers, but not close to enough," she sneered. "My will is not so easily broken."

"We can change that," Xander replied, looking to the others. Each nodded, and in a flash of purple light, all but Clare leapt into the air. In a split second, the blonde raised her staff, a beam of purple energy shot from the tip, engulfing the Rangers, and they came together, falling toward the villainess.

In the same moment, Necrolai launched a volley of energy blasts at the Rangers and another at Clare, but the lavender glow surrounding them just absorbed it. Again, she attacked, now as they fell in perfect unison, but, predictably, her attempts were soaked in by their auras. She never learned. The image of a glowing full moon flashed around them as their feet connected with her body. Time seemed to freeze as they hit her, and then she flew back, crashing through the array of tables on the plaza. That wasn't where it ended, though; Clare stepped to the center of the landed group, staff held out.

"Light of the moon, _rinozu_!" The rest of the world snapped away, leaving just Clare and Necrolai on the empty, moonlit plains. A net of purple light burst out of the silver staff, ensnaring the former vampire. She howled in pain as the world flashed back to normal, the blades on her arms dissolving into the black smoke they had once been. Falling to her knees, she silently writhed even as the net dissipated; Clare straightened her staff and watched her opponent stoically.

"You foul witch," Necrolai hissed, arms wrapped around herself and glaring up through her mask. "What did you do?" Clare smirked.

"I stripped your new powers," she replied. "Give up yet?" Hatred shone through the eyes of the fallen queen as she stood up.

"Never," she sneered. "Unlike you, I'm not above tipping the scales in my favor. _Uthe sastos_!" For a moment, she disappeared entirely, only to reappear right behind Clare. A gloved hand whipped out to seize the blonde's arm, a small but unseen smirk forming on its master's lips. "You're coming with me, Gatekeeper." Before they could reach her, Clare had teleported away under Necrolai's grip, their reactions just a fraction too late to do any good.

"Damn it," Nick muttered. "What are we going to now?"

"Go back to Root Core and see if we can track them down?" Xander suggested, earning a shake of the head from Maddie.

"No, we need to get back to school. We only have fifteen minutes left."

"But what about Clare?" Vida asked.

"And Necrolai?" added Chip.

"Clare is a big girl. I think we can trust her for fifteen minutes. Afterward, we can go straight to Root Core and start searching. I don't think you guys will want to explain to your families why you were gone during _and_ after an attack." They all nodded knowingly, each having received a call from the school the previous night after their disappearances. The lies were already hard enough to keep up; they hardly needed more rampant half-truths to complicate their lives. Still, Nick seemed hesitant.

"We don't know what Necrolai is doing with her, though, and with Mom gone... The world rests on us, Maddie." She got closer to him, a gentle hand moving into his.

"I know, but Clare is a part of this, too. We need to trust her abilities, even just for a little while. I promise you, we'll find them both." With her honest eyes meeting his, he couldn't help but reluctantly nod.

"You're right. Clare's stronger than she seems. Fifteen minutes isn't too long, anyway." Still, everyone knew he wasn't entirely comfortable with abandoning his newfound family for a quarter hour of school; they just didn't know what they could do about it. Leelee, though, had a thought.

"I could start searching, if you want me to," she ventured. "I can get Phineas to help, too." Nick smiled at her.

"Thanks. That'd be great." She nodded, glad to be of help, and silently teleported back to Root Core. As she left, Nick turned back to the others. "Off we go, then." He held up a hand, murmuring, "_Uthe norqua ozarro_." The quintet disappeared, reappearing in a familiar janitor's closet. They were almost out the door before Vida piped up.

"Uh, guys? We're still morphed," she stated bluntly, gesturing to the bright spandex they still wore. Each glanced around, realizing she was right.

"Wow..." Xander muttered as he demorphed. "That could have been embarrassing." Vida grinned, murmuring a quiet 'power down' like the rest.

"That and weird. Imagine showing up in your class and just sitting down like nothing was wrong. I bet the media would have a field day."

"It'd be awesome," Chip remarked with his traditional exuberance. "Then I could wear my cape and no one would say it was a distraction." They exchanged knowing smiles, exiting the small room now that they donned their civilian clothes once again.

"Well, off to the last fifteen of class, then," Xander said, moving in the opposite direction of Madison and Nick alongside Chip and Vida. With no other students in the halls, it was easy to inconspicuously slip out of the closet and back to class. They only had fifteen minutes before everything went sour, and they needed it. After all, things were only going to get worse from there.

* * *

"Longest fifteen minutes of my life," Vida muttered, hopping into her jeep. Xander nodded, climbing into the passenger seat after Chip got into the back.

"Couldn't even relax, knowing we have to go fight again so soon."

"This time we have to go find Clare and Necrolai," Chip added. "Then we bring the fight to them."

"They've probably been fighting while we were sitting around."

"Clare can take care of herself. She is the Gatekeeper, after all." Vida nodded, starting her vehicle. A moment later, they were on the road, heading toward the edge of the woods. Nick and Madison had taken the former's motorcycle, agreeing to stop and tell Toby what was going on. Now that he knew, they could at least explain the imminent danger the world was in and why they had to miss work. Now they could actually rest on their breaks if they wanted to. Zordon's rules aside, having someone outside their original circle who knew was a relief. It made them appear less flighty to the uninformed when someone could cover for them in a pinch. Taking their vehicles had just been common sense–teleporting and leaving them at school would be suspicious.

By ignoring the speed limit, they reached a safe, secluded spot on the edge of the forest quickly. As Rangers, they knew they really should obey the law, but this situation had the potential to become worse than anything they'd ever faced before. Speed laws paled in comparison to the death toll they could imagine. Besides, Vida wasn't that bad of a driver. They only had one near-death experience with a Camaro.

Coming to a screeching halt, Vida was out of the jeep before Chip and Xander could even see straight again.

"And I thought teleporting made you feel funny," Xander managed, unbuckling himself dazedly.

"Ambulances go slower than that," Chip commented. Vida just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Quit complaining and get out," she ordered. "We have better things to do." Both young men obliged quietly, closing the door gently as Vida joined them. "Now, if you're done..." She gestured toward the woods before them. Xander, without hesitation, took the lead, the other two following close behind. They marched straight through the closest tree, emerging just before Root Core in their uniforms. In seconds, they entered the base to find Leanbow, Phineas and Leelee in the main room. The eldest man was pacing, an intense look of thought on his face, while Leelee and Phineas watched the crystal ball for any sign or change. Upon the Ranger trio's arrival, the last two perked up.

"Good to see you guys!" Phineas exclaimed jovially, pulling the closest person, which happened to be Xander, into a hug. Leelee smiled brightly.

"Hey guys," she greeted. "No Mom, Udonna or Clare yet. We've been scouring the dimensions since they disappeared. No signs so far." The trio nodded, moving to their own spots to help. Xander took over the console on the dais, while Chip claimed the one under the winding stairs. Vida tapped on Leanbow's shoulder, being the best at weathering whatever radical emotion was thrown at her. The mentor halted his pacing, doing a sharp one-eighty to look at her.

"Yes?" he inquired, voice calm.

"Are you okay?" she asked back. There was a frank concern in her voice, brought on by his tense demeanor. She may have had an outer shell of steel, but she could be kind, just like Maddie could be intense. The older man simply gave her an even stare.

"My wife is being held captive by the former Vampire Queen, the latter of which is probably in combat with my niece, who is still adjusting to her new powers, in location unknown, and I can't help because I can't remember the past twenty years or tap into my Ancient's power. Needless to say, I'm a bit stressed." For a moment, the room was completely silent, all eyes on him. As he noticed this, he quietly sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated." Vida nodded.

"We know. We all are. This is the worst situation we've ever faced."

"Worse than the rescue mission where you and Madison almost died?" Chip asked, voice lined by skepticism. Vida turned to give him a dubious look.

"We're facing a full-on invasion, Chip. The forces of the Underworld are threatening to swarm both dimensions we're supposed to protect. It's more than just our lives on the line this time. If Maddie's right, this is going to be the biggest thing we've faced yet."

"I haven't been wrong yet," replied a voice from the doorway, drawing all eyes to its owner. There stood Madison and Nick, the former giving a small, almost unseen, smile. "I wouldn't mind a first time, though."

"Wouldn't count on it," Nick said, glancing to the others. "Any luck?" Everyone responded negatively; he nodded grimly. "We'll find her. Let's get back to work." Each went back to their own endeavors, while Vida glanced between Leanbow and the others, a sly smile growing on her lips.

"C'mon," she commanded, taking his arm. "If you're going to be a part of this, then you're going to help us. You and I are going to look for power-stripping spells, in case Clare can't do that net thing again." The elder man hesitated for only a second before a grin broke through his features.

"You're nothing like Cordy, you know?" The short-haired girl paused, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh? Who's she?"

"Cordula was the Mystic Warrior of Air before you. She was much quieter, and less demanding." Vida just shrugged. Being told she was loud and demanding was nothing new.

"You never know. She could've been a real riot girl underneath the quiet exterior." She gave him a dry smile. "Now stop slacking and come on." She drug the mentor to the bookshelves lining the wall and handed him a book. For countless minutes, everyone worked, Xander and Chip at their consoles, Leelee and Phineas scanning the many dimensions on the crystal ball, Nick searching the Xenotome and various other books for any insights into their situation, Maddie first finding and then scrying with a belonging of Udonna's (so long as they were searching, she ought to try to find Udonna, too, she figured), and Vida and Leanbow scouring books for power stripping spells.

After a few minutes of quiet searching, punctuated only by the sound of pages flipping, a shout of glee broke their focus. Every head snapped to Leelee, who wore an excited look on her features.

"I think I found them!" she exclaimed, staring straight into the crystal ball. Everyone flocked to her, hoping it was true. Within the confines of the smooth crystal, two figures fought it out; one wore the distinctive white dress of the Gatekeeper, while the other was entirely garbed in black leather, the monochromatic scheme broken only by the sharp red smirk painted on her mask. Without a doubt, it was Clare and Necrolai.

"Do you have a solid location?" Nick asked, glancing to the blonde. She nodded.

"It's this gorge just off of Cairn Terraza."

"Can we get there quickly?"

"If you can teleport us there, yeah."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." The other Rangers dropped what they were doing and followed Nick outside. Leanbow, Phineas and Leelee stayed behind, the reinforcements should Maddie's future come to pass.

Outside, a gentle breeze gave way to how eerily calm it was for what was becoming a bad day. No one seemed to notice the unusual quiet, though, each too wrapped up in the unfolding events. Raising a hand above the assembled group, Nick spirited them away with two simple words.

In the gorge, they reappeared behind a small formation of rocks. The dark-haired leader looked to his teammates, wand out.

"Ready?" he whispered, careful not to alert Necrolai to their presence.

"Ready." The clicks of four wands flipping open supplanted the chorus of hushed voices.

"Magical source, Mystic Force!" The rainbow of spell seals transformed then into the five Mystic Rangers, but neither Clare nor Necrolai noticed, too absorbed with exchanging blows.

The core Rangers burst into the fight without announcing themselves. Chip succeeded in preventing Clare from receiving a particularly painful right hook from Necrolai with a bolt of lighting to the dark witch's hand. The raven-haired woman stumbled back, shaking her smoking hand as if it would relieve her of the pain. Before she could greet them with a snarky remark, she had to fend off simultaneous attacks by Nick and Xander, and the subsequent tag team by the Rocca twins. Falling back as gracefully as she could while keeping her footing, Necrolai's lapse in offensive moves gave the Rangers the gap they needed to assemble defensively in front of Clare.

"You okay?" Nick asked, glancing back to his cousin.

"Better now," she responded. "At least the Gates aren't open yet." Despite the situation, the Red Ranger grinned.

"Always good to know. I like to keep the apocalypse about as far away as I can."

"Don't we all," Vida muttered as Necrolai glared at them.

"Speak for yourselves," she spat. "I await the day when your world falls quite eagerly, and it will be soon."

"Not if we have anything to say about it," Chip responded, fingering his crossbow. What he wouldn't give to shoot her right here and end all their troubles, but she was human, and he didn't know if he could handle that on his conscience.

"Oh, you don't. This world's fate is sealed."

"So you say." On these words, Nick lunged, swinging his sword at her in a wide arc. It glanced off her forearm just barely, sending up a quick trail of sparks after it. She sent him reeling back with a kick to the gut, but the others had already moved in to cover him. Xander slashed at the same time Maddie stabbed, and the former queen only managed to deflect the Green Ranger's attack, doubling over as the prongs bit into her belly. A swift tornado kick from Vida sent her careening to the right, all balance lost. As she rolled to a harsh stop, the group reformed with Clare as its focal point.

"Face it, hag," the Gatekeeper said, "You can't beat us. We're the Mystic Force. All of good magic is on our side. You don't stand a chance." Under her mask, the older woman smirked.

"Don't get cocky, Rangers. I have the most powerful darkness on my side, and he doesn't care for your little bunch of witches and wizards. He favors me." Pushing herself up steadily, she watched them. "And he is much more powerful than your puny Titans. Care for a demonstration?" Black smoke, almost like animated darkness, materialized from the air around her, enveloping her whole body. The Mystic Force could only watch as it cocooned her, absorbing the arrow of light Chip released as if it were nothing.

"It's almost like we've seen this before," Vida muttered, watching the darkness flow. The shroud expanded outward, blinding blackness filling the air on either side of her, and then faded moments later. All that remained was the villainess, usual smirk giving her face a strange contour under the mask, and six new friends, three flanking each side. That was new.

Seeing the Rangers' incredulous looks, her smirk only widened.

"Don't act so surprised, Rangers. My master's power exceeds anything you could ever imagine, and he wants to see you fall."

"Guess he'll be waiting a long time, then, " Vida snapped back; Necrolai only snorted.

"You believe too much in your own power and virtues, Pink Ranger. They will be your downfall."

"Try me." Necrolai gave a mock long-suffering sigh.

"So demanding," she muttered. "But if you insist..." Her shadowy new allies surged forward, each taking one of the warriors. It was fierce, becoming five one-on-one fights, while Clare took both the original and a clone. For minutes upon minutes, only the vague grunts and clashes of fighting echoed through the gorge, each Ranger taking a replica. The teens did admirably, slowly working down their opponents and coming closer to Clare. Being one so new to combat, Clare herself did amazingly well, but the combined strength of two Necrolais was beginning to wear her thin, and the villainess knew it. Seizing a vulnerable moment, the original grabbed the blonde's wrists and smirked.

"You're coming with me," she sneered. Clare struggled, but her captor's grasp was unrelenting. "_Uthe sastos_!"

Mid-swing, Necrolai, her clones and Clare disappeared, sending Xander's axe straight for the ground. Confusedly, he dug it out and looked to the others, who had been able to recover their movements a little more gracefully.

"What the hell just happened?" he asked. Each shook their head.

"I think Necrolai teleported Clare out, and the clones just went with her," Madison answered.

"Damn," Nick muttered, looking between his friends. "What do we do now? Go back and search for them again?" He was angry, with himself and with Necrolai; he hadn't been able to get past his copy quick enough, and now two dimensions could suffer.

"That's probably our best option," Maddie replied, knowing what was going through his mind. She wasn't going to encourage or discourage it; he worked best when his emotions were strong. "At the least, I can get a lock on them again."

"Sounds like our best shot," Vida said. "Unless anyone else has anything better?" When no one answered, Nick let out a shallow breath and raised his arm above them.

"Then that's it. Uthra norqua ozarro." As a whole, the group disappeared into a seal, reappearing moments later inside Root Core. Instantly, the three previous residents jumped up, anxious to know what was going on. None of them had quite the crystal scrying abilities that Udonna, Madison and Clare seemed to naturally possess; it was more of a strain on them to force the foggy images into focus. They'd resigned to waiting for the already swirling darkness in the sphere to intensify, meaning it had become bad enough that they were needed. Now, though, they could find out what was truly happening.

Leanbow was the first to them, taking his son firmly by the shoulders as the boy unclasped his helmet. He gazed unwaveringly into those eyes, so definitely his mother's, and saw the sturdy resolve in them that so many leaders bore just to keep their group going; it was peppered by a thin weariness and, surprisingly, pain. Nick must have seen it in his father's eyes, too, for he smiled sadly.

"We couldn't get her back, Dad, not yet. Necrolai took her somewhere else. That's why we're here - so Maddie can look for them." Sure enough, Madison was peering without falter into the dome, helmet off like Nick and the others and hair pushed haphazardly out of her face. Leanbow smiled vaguely as he glanced at her, reminded so much of her predecessor Lior, and it was only Nick's voice that snapped him back to the present.

"We're going to find them, Dad," he said, voice lower, carrying a heavier undertone than usual. "Not just Necrolai or Clare. We're going to find Mom too. We're going to find them, and we're going to put our family back together. And then we're going to kick their asses for ever pulling us apart. I've just found you guys, and I'm not ready to lose you any time soon." Leanbow smiled. It was times like these that let him sleep calmly at night, knowing that the Mystic Force, and two worlds with it, lay in the hands of his son. Truly, the boy was becoming more of a leader every day, even under the increasing pressure of the war.

"You have my sword at your side, son," he said. "Our family was broken for far too long, and it will not regress. We fight not only for our worlds, but for our families, and that is something the darkness knows nothing of. It gives us an advantage, for the lives of those you love is the strongest motivation. It never dies." There was a fierce sheen in his eyes, and Nick was sure his own mirrored them. The need to protect and rescue their family burned with untold passion in their hearts, and such a passion in a fire element was all but indestructible. Only achieving their goal, or death, could stop them now.

"Got them!" Maddie shouted breaking their momentary reverie. She spun around to look at them, and she could see the vehemence in their eyes. It seemed the reality of what could happen had set in during her scrying. "They're by the docks downtown. It looks like it's already gotten bad."

"Then let's go," Nick said, slipping his helmet back on with the others. Wordlessly, everyone gathered in a circle, Phineas the only one without armor–the Rangers were morphed, Leelee had shifted into her armor, and even Leanbow had summoned chain mail over his clothes. Into a seal, they disappeared and almost instantly, they were on the docks, not fifty feet from where Necrolai, her clones and Clare struggled.

All eight Mystics rushed into battle without hesitation, pulling startled duplicates away from the seven-on-one fight. Leelee and Phineas took on one together, using weapons, martial arts and acrobatics in sync with one another. Nick joined Clare, who was near exhaustion and showing a slew of bruises and cuts. The rest took a clone each, fighting with all the strength and passion they held.

Chip managed to pin his against a crate with light arrows, delivering a heavy right hook before putting a near-blinding lightning bolt through her heart. At least he could put this one down, being only a shadow clone and not a real human. It was vindicating, in a small way. He moved on to help Vida as his clone dissolved to smoke, intercepting a high kick and twisting the shadow woman off her feet. Vida smiled at him, sharing a high five with her friend as the clone stood up. When she was fully on her feet again, Vida delivered her own high kick to the woman's chin.

While the others began to succeed over their opponents, Nick and Clare were suffering under the nonstop assault of the original. The blonde in particular was doing badly–her robes were torn and bloodstained in many places, and more blood trickled from gashes across her person. Nick and Necrolai traded blows, sword on arm-blade, but she procured a lucky blow, throwing him back with an extra burst of power. At the same time, Xander and Vida's clones ducked from successive blows and took Clare by the arms, allowing Necrolai to cradle the blonde's head from behind.

The Green, Pink and Yellow Rangers interpreted their movements to see what the clones were doing, while Leanbow, Maddie, Leelee and Phineas kept fighting their opponents and Nick picked himself up unsteadily.

Necrolai stroked the younger woman's neck seductively with a long finger, leaning close to her ear.

"And now your power is in my hands, witch," she purred. "_Avalis_ Gatekeeper! _Atrum dogat_!" As she shouted the spells, Xander and Vida lunged at their clones, but were each hit by blasts of energy from other replicants. At the same time, Clare screamed, a wave of power rippling out from her body. The ground began to rumble, stopping the fights as all turned to watch. The duplicates vanished, leaving a weak Clare to go limp in the original's arms. A loud cracking resonated through the city, followed by the sounds of cars crashing and parts of buildings shaking themselves apart. Over the tops of the distant skyscrapers, the Gates rose up in all their imposing glory. As the cracking of ground and settling of debris faded away, an eerie silence descended upon the city, penetrated only by Necrolai's mad cackling.

"And so begins your downfall," she crowed. "Morticon shall be freed and the reign of darkness will begin. But first -" She grabbed the limp Clare's arm and smirked. "- the Gates must be fully opened, and I believe some privacy is in order. Since I'm so kind, I thought I'd leave some friends for you to play with." With a snap of her fingers, a few dozen Hidiacs appeared out of seals, twitching restlessly as they waited for the order to attack. "Ta. _Uthe sastos_." And she was gone with Clare, both swallowed by a dark purple seal. At the same time, the Hidiacs lunged, acting on instinct with no one to command them. The Rangers and company began dispatching the zombies without paying them much mind; after many months of fighting the beings, they were easy pickings. Their attention was more focused on the Gates. Something was happening with them.

Dispensing the last of the, at best, annoyances, the group came back together to look at the Gates and the devastation they'd already caused. It was far from over, though; the terror was just starting to begin. Perched on either side of the Gates was a gargoyle holding a halberd. The one on the left was the first to move, spreading its wings slowly, while the other bent its head side to side. That, though, seemed to be the least of their mounting problems. Echoing through the streets was a faint pounding that emanated from behind the Gates, the only sound in the silent city. Ceaselessly, rhythmically, it resonated through the emptiness, jarring them with every beat. For once, they were speechless.

* * *

Music pumped through the store. A few customers milled around. Toby leaned on the counter, reading a magazine. All was normal.

The monster alarms had shut off a while ago, and life had quickly gone back to normal. Living in a Ranger city gave its citizens the rare ability to shift between running for cover and catching a bus almost instantaneously. This was just normal for them. Hide from a monster, watch epic battle from afar, apologize for being late to the meeting, go on with life. Giant tap-dancing chameleons couldn't surprise them at this point.

Then it happened. The ground gave a terrible groan. It shuddered violently, becoming waves of rumbles. Tremors rocked the buildings, but this was California. They could handle that. What they couldn't handle was something lurching upward from underneath them.

Suddenly, all Toby could hear was that terrible crashing, an orchestra of shattering glass, twisting metal and screeching cars. A wave of dust rushed down the street, bringing a deafening silence with it as everything settled. Like all of his patrons, Toby wandered outside, breathing through his shirt to filter out some of the dust. In the silence, they watched through the clearing haze, catching their first unclear view of the risen Gates. They were close, so close it looked like they were about to topple forward onto the careless bystanders, and tall. Oh god, they were tall, imperceptibly so.

Slowly, and to the terror of those watching, the stone beasts on either side of the doors began to move. They stretched their wings, got good holds on their weapons.

Their hold on the people didn't last long.

From behind the doors came a pounding. It was manic, incessant. It penetrated the silence, echoing into the souls of even those who weren't watching. Something past those doors was pounding its way free.

Something wanted out.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N_ - Damn, it's been a long time. First and foremost, I want to apologize for the long wait. My life has been hectic, to say the least, but that's a poor excuse. All I can do is tell you how sorry I am, and how much I've been dying to update in the past, what? Eight, nine months? ...Yeah, I'm sorry. It's short, I know, but it's better than nothing. With the end of school coming up, and most of my friends still being in school, I'm hoping to get some writing done. Knock on wood.

Anyway, I'm so glad to be back to this story. It's my firstborn, so to speak, and no matter how many oneshots and other stories I start, it always comes back to this one. I will finish it, even if it takes me the rest of my life. Though I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that.

* * *

"Shit," Vida finally muttered, echoing the thoughts of her comrades. The Gates loomed menacingly over the city, the grey beasts on either side stretching and slowly freeing themselves from their stony prison.

"What are those?" Xander asked.

"Gargoyles," Chip answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Xander shook his head.

"Yeah, I know that. I mean, _what_ are they?"

"They are the guardians of the Gates," Leanbow said. "They prevent the damned from getting out."

"So they'll help us with whatever's back there," Madison said, but she had a feeling that her statement wasn't entirely true.

"Yes. They helped us push the Darkness back into the Underworld during the Great Battle."

"Let's go see if they'll still help us," Nick said. "_Uthra norqua ozarro_." In the flash of a spell seal, they were across town, standing at the very base of the Gates. Up close, it seemed even more massive, extending further into the sky than any structure they'd ever seen.

"Wow," Phineas said. "That's a really big door. The Saint Mother really outdid herself." Before anyone could speak again, the sound of glass shattering filled the air. The group had just enough time to react before a rain of shards came down on them; even those in armor ducked and covered. It was unnecessary, though, as Leanbow conjured a powerful force field around them all, dissolving the glass as it hit. When all the glass had fallen, they looked to see what had broken it: the gargoyles circled high above them, damaging the buildings as they flew past.

"I take it their not on our side," Maddie commented.

"With Necrolai in control of Clare's power, the gargoyles must be working under her will," Leanbow answered, watching them circle. "This could be bad."

"How do we stop them" Nick asked. Leanbow simply shook his head.

"I do not know. Never have they fought for the Darkness. They return to the Gates when their job is complete, or they are defeated, according to Luria's documentation of the creation of the Gates. As far as I know, no one has ever defeated them."

"Then we'll have to make history," Nick replied. His father looked to him, gaze steadfast.

"They are stronger than anything you've yet faced. There is little chance you will win." Nick looked to the gargoyles, watching them circle for a moment, then looked back to his father.

"We have to try, Dad, no matter what it takes. This city, this world, they depend on us fighting until the end. More than that, our family depends on us. If we don't fight now, what will there be left to fight for?" Leanbow smiled slightly at the boy.

"I can see why Ignos chose you. You are a valiant leader, and as a father, I could not be prouder. I would be honored to fight by your side."

"We all are," Xander supplanted.

"Great," Vida added, pointing to the circling beasts, "'cause I think we're their mission." The two fire elements looked back to the gargoyles, sweeping closer each moment. Nick glanced back to his father, knowing what they had to do. Leanbow nodded slightly, giving the approval that Nick didn't need, but nonetheless appreciated. The Red Ranger looked next to his friends.

"You guys ready for this?" Each nodded, and together thrust their wands into the air.

"_Galwit mysto prifior_!" they chorused, immediately enveloped by bright light. Each stood at least a hundred feet tall within moments, save for Xander, pushing two hundred, and Vida, barely hitting seventy. The gargoyles saw them and instantly halted their mindless destruction.

"What are you waiting for?" Vida taunted. "Come and get us!"

Eying the sprite on his shoulder, Xander said, "Could we maybe not egg on the ridiculously powerful monsters?"

"It's not like they won't attack us anyway," she replied. "Besides, they don't look that smart. They probably don't even know what I said." As if the Universe was out to contradict her, one of the gargoyles shot her off of Xander's shoulder with a burst of energy. She tumbled through the air, stunned and unable to fly; she nearly crashed into a parking garage when Chip caught her as gently as he could with his wings.

"You okay?" he asked, watching her rub the side of her head gingerly.

"Yeah, just a little fuzzy," she answered. Slowly, she got to her feet and looked up at him. Funny how he could have a giant metal beak instead of a mouth and nose, and still manage to look so very Chip-ish. Right now, she knew he was smiling, even if she couldn't see it.

"Good," he said, and she wasn't quite sure if it was out loud or in her mind. She'd never been sure about whether they were actually talking when they were like this, or if it was some massive telepathic link, which was a very Chip thing to think on its own–maybe there _was_ some telepathy going on. "We should probably go help them." Peering over his shoulder, she saw what he meant. The others were already engaged in battle with the gargoyles. She focused herself, clearing her mind, and hovered away from his wings.

"What're we waiting for?" Matching smiles imperceptibly adorning their faces, they charged into the fight. Chip shot two bolts of lightning, each catching a wing of the stone beast fighting Madison. It flew back, caught unaware by the sudden attack, but quickly corrected itself and threw an energy bolt at its new attacker. Chip barely dodged it, and Vida moved in rapidly, flitting behind the creature that had at least fifty feet on her. Nodding to Maddie, she released a violent gale as her twin shot a surge of water.

The two forces met, becoming a monsoon of sorts. Chip added a blast of electricity, lighting up the storm like a strobe light in a pool. The gargoyle didn't seem to notice, though; it sat calmly in the center, as if contemplating its next move. After a moment of elemental battering, it finally moved, slashing through the storm with its halberd and knocking all three away with one swift movement. Maddie crashed into Nick's back, and the couple paused there for a moment.

"Getting your ass kicked?" Nick asked.

"Unfortunately, yeah," the mermaid replied, a bit unevenly. "You too?"

"Yeah. Dad was right–these guys are strong. We're going to need the Megazord."

"My thought exactly." With a silent nod to the others, Nick stood up straighter and raised an arm into the air. "_Galwit mysto neramax_!" Swallowed instantly by the magic, the five disappeared into a flash of bright white, emerging as the Titan Megazord. The gargoyles watched it uncertainly, as if they had their doubts that they should be fighting the metallic warrior; this passed, and they lunged. The Rangers, placed aboard their metaphysical chess board, gripped their sword tighter and parried the first blow from a halberd, minds pressed so close together that their thoughts, when it came to fighting, were all but uniform.

The second gargoyle moved in right after the first, swinging up with its weapon. It caught them in the chest with enough force to push them up, and they barely managed to catch the air with their wings before they hit a building. They pulled up, wind whooshing around them; the gargoyles followed them up, one on each side. The Megazord delivered a spinning kick to one, while the other stabbed them from behind. The kicked gargoyle spun away as the Rangers fell, the other following them down.

Already in pain, they took a blow to the head, stars exploding before their eyes. They tried slicing at the closer gargoyle, but it had regained itself and gave them a powerful blow to the chest, throwing them back.

Growing weaker with each clanging strike, they couldn't stop the next blow, a simultaneous attack from the stone creatures that threw them forcefully into the Gates, which stood just taller than they did. Their weight, paired with such force, shook the enormous doors. As their eyes came back into focus, something appeared next to their face: a grey blade, pockmarked from years of battle. To Nick, that blade was all too familiar, just like the laughing that filled the air.

"I think we have a problem, guys," he muttered.

"Really?" Vida replied. "Bigger than two insanely powerful gargoyles kicking our asses?"

"Oh yeah. Way bigger," he said, and they were pushed forward by a sudden pounding on the Gates. A beam of dull, reddish light poked between the doors, slowly growing as the being behind pried them apart. Even the gargoyles froze in this presence, watching as the monster stepped out. The Gates slammed shut behind him, but the Rangers didn't notice. All they saw was Morticon, standing triumphantly before the Gates.

"Did you miss me?"

* * *

"Welcome to my abode," Necrolai sneered, gripping Clare's arm tightly. The blonde struggled weakly, but she was in no way strong enough to escape her raven-haired captor, not after the long fight she'd just had. She could barely stay on her feet, let alone fight back now.

Jagged walls drifted past her eyes, but they all looked the same, grey and dank. Finally, they emerged from a tunnel into a large cavern, lit by thousands of candles. The overwhelming light stung Clare's eyes for a moment; she felt her body hit the ground hard. When her eyes adjusted, she saw Necrolai standing away from her, hard painted smirk leering at her. The young woman slowly stood, body aching, and tried to approach the older woman, but a jarring force stopped her. She could hear Necrolai cackling as she groaned.

"Do you like it, Gatekeeper?" she sneered, motioning to the ground. "I personally carved it myself. I'm quite the artist, don't you agree?" Clare glanced down, finding herself to be in the center of a dark spell seal, strange runes glittering around its edges as if to tease her into trying to escape again.

"Sorry, it's just not my type of art," she managed, staring at the dark witch defiantly. Necrolai didn't falter; the girl would have to try much harder than that to intimidate someone who had stood before oblivion and lived.

"Then I should be thankful it is not for your enjoyment. Much the opposite, really." She smiled. "I do have something you'll enjoy, though. A gift, just for you." Necrolai snapped her fingers and a golden orb appeared in the air next to her. Clare's eyes widened in recognition; it was Udonna.

"Oh, dearest Clare," the ginger woman said. "I'm so sorry." Clare gave her a weak smile.

"No big deal," she replied. "Thought I needed a change in venue, and I've heard good things about here. I've got a few complaints the next time I see the manager, thought."

"I see the Mystic Force's wit is not lost on its more ancillary members," Necrolai sneered. "That annoying trait will be beaten from you soon."

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Udonna warned, earning only a smirk from the leather-clad witch.

"You are not in a position to threaten anyone, White Witch," the villainess said. "But, I do promise I won't lay another finger on her." With a cruel smirk, she threw her arm up; the seal Clare stood at the center of burst into life. The young blonde was screaming instantly, held upright only by the force of the spell now. Symbols twisted and turned both above and below her, each rotation acting like a screw on her soul. Her increasing cries of pain only served to make Necrolai smile.

"You have it in you to end this now, you know," she tempted, knowing the girl would most certainly never give in. "All you must do it open the Gates on your own." Clare looked up at her though blonde locks, eyes pained but serious.

"We both know that's not going to happen," she replied. "Come on, Necky, you've been on this pony once too often not to know that."

"Oh, yes, I know very well. The good shall withstand the trials of evil and emerge victorious, is that it? How wonderful, how pious. But I know much more than you, child, and I know this: your situation is much different now. Your silly notions of chivalry and honor cannot save you from an agonizing death as your magic is ripped from your body." Another strike of pain hit the girl; she could hear Necrolai's laugh through her own screams. "Very soon, your world will be overrun, and no matter how it happens, it will be your fault." She leaned close to the young Gatekeeper, unaffected by the dark magic, and whispered, "Does that make your death any better? Does it please you to know that you will die in vain, holding desperately to shreds of righteousness, while my dark master envelops and brings ruin to all you hold dear? Does your prolonged torture bring you any comfort now?"

Her only answers were screams.

* * *

"This is bad, guys," Chip murmured, staring at Morticon.

"Thanks for the update," Vida replied, but there was no real conviction in her voice. She was just as stunned as the others, and, to some extent, just as scared. Nick wasn't ready to give in to fear, though.

"Didn't get enough of a beating last time, pumphead?" he asked, stepping the Megazord forward defiantly. This seemed to anger the cyborg, while the other Rangers looked to Nick confusedly.

"That was a fluke," he snarled, the visible machinery beginning to move faster. "Accidental magic from a neophyte wizard."

"Big words from a hollow shell," Madison replied, catching onto Nick's idea first. "We've faced worse than you. You're just a Hidiac with a bit of brain."

"Stop talking!" he bellowed, becoming more outraged by the moment. The gears spun faster; steam blew from his ears almost literally, if he'd had any. Nick threw in another comment in the effort to push the general into a blind rage.

"Why? You're just a zombie, doing as he's told because a higher power says so." That was the final straw–he lunged. They barely avoided his savage blow and swung at his side. A gargoyle caught their sword with its halberd, while its twin struck their back, sending them to their knees. Morticon, grinning wickedly, kicked them in the chin, throwing them back. Stars in their eyes, they still managed to knock away both gargoyles with their sword, if only barely. With fading strength and growing bruises, they stood up, staring down Morticon. He sneered back.

"Maybe taunting him wasn't the best idea," Xander commented. Nick shook his head.

"Not right now, man."

"Not as strong as you thought, are you?" he sneered. The Rangers didn't reply, only letting their breathing even out. The cyborg seemed dissatisfied with their lack of banter now, and drove toward them with a growl. With a burst of energy, they took to the air. A fresh, light feeling swelled in their chest, paired with a strange knowledge of what to do. They raised their sword, focused on this new magic and shouted, "Spirit of the Ancient Titans!" For a fraction of a moment, Morticon faltered; a pure gold spell seal shimmered around their blade. They could feel, and almost see, the Titans in their true forms, descending with them toward the dark general like flanking jets. They swung mightily at him, catching sight of his devious smile at the last second.

"Dark Magic Strike!" he countered. Blackness enveloped his sword as he swung it at them, parrying their blow. Gold and black whirled around them in beautiful and terrible patterns; they both froze for milliseconds. Then, Morticon gave a mighty roar and pushed with even more force. Their strength already waning, this last surge blew them back, knocking them back into their individual selves and out of morph in time to feel the unrelenting cement pound the wind out of them. Each lay in pain for a moment as Morticon's laughter echoed through the city, unable or unwilling to move.

"Ugh," Xander moaned, breathing raggedly. His hand gripped his ribs tenderly as he attempted to sit up; after miserably failing, he lay on the ground and just tried breathing.

"I feel like hell," Vida groaned. "Worse than any hangover." She did as Xander did, minus trying to sit up. She knew it was futile.

"You've only had one hangover, and was because Grandma Flora thought you were Mom and kept refilling your glass with wine," Maddie said, voice revealing just how tired she was.

"This is still worse."

"I bet this is what the Doctor feels like right before he regenerates," Chip said thoughtfully.

"Like he's having the life drained out of him by an abusive hose?" Nick laughed, weak and dry. Chip managed a small chuckle.

"Sort of, yeah."

"Nerd," Vida commented.

"Without the Mystic Force, this world will fall!" boomed Morticon, ending their light, if pained, reverie. "Destroy this city as a symbol! Destroy it all." On his command, the gargoyles began smashing everything they could reach; glass and metal rained into the streets. The Gates creaked, adding to the terrible noise within the city, and finally Nick stood up. Pounding footsteps reverberated through the ground. Each Ranger stood as what this meant sunk in, sore but not so weak that they couldn't stand when they knew it was necessary.

"That's marching," Chip stated obviously. "That means..." His words trailed off as his eyes grew wide.

"That the darkness is leaking out," Maddie finished. "That we've failed, and that the things we've been fighting for all these months are here now, all because we failed."

"So what now?" Xander said, looking between the others. "We're done, we've lost, let's give up?"

"No," Nick stated forcefully. "We don't give up. We _won't_ give up. We will not end this way." He turned to them, eyes flickering with fire. "So long as we breathe, we will not stop fighting for the Light. As long as I live, the Dark will not rule. We are not quitting now, not when we can still fight back."

"Hell yeah," Vida replied, mustering every bit of her strength.

"We stand and fight," Maddie said.

"Until our dying breaths," Chip added. Nick smiled at his team.

"Then are you ready?" They nodded. "Magical source, Mystic Force!" Instantly clad in their thin armor, they changed straight to the Megazord. The gargoyles noticed and stopped smashing buildings, watching their opponents with renewed interest. There was different about them, a new power that was dangerous and fascinating. It beckoned to be trifled with, and neither creature resisted.

They flanked the Megazord, but were easily parried by the Rangers. One stone beast tried soaring above them; they shot it down with a blast of golden energy that lit up the darkened skies, and swung to knock away the other's halberd with one fluid movement. Morticon continued his destruction, busy stomping on a warehouse and not noticing his new minions receiving a fresh beatdown. The gargoyles were the ones struggling now, barely blocking blow after blow from the renewed Rangers. They persisted with mindless obedience until, finally, the Rangers had them both down.

Nick smiled, distant words floating through his mind.

"I know what to do, guys," he said. "Follow my lead." He raised their sword, pointing it at the creatures. "_Neramax majula devol!_" Slashing at them, a golden seal passed over the pair, sending each away in a shower of golden brilliance. They reappeared in their former positions on either side of the Gates, and Nick added, "_Petricio!_" Each froze in place, magically turned back to inanimate stone.

Now only Morticon and the surging armies stood in their way.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N_ - Wow, a quick update. Like always, I can't promise any regularity to my updates, but this one was a shorter chapter. I'm just glad to be done with the whole Gatekeeper arc. The next episodes will play out in shorter chapters, I hope. Of course, they're some fun chaps, too.

Also, and this is completely random, I just want to say for the record that I adore RPM. Ziggy and Flynn are up there with Bridge and Chip as my favorite Rangers. I absolutely love the new series, for so many reasons I don't have time to name. They made a Doctor Who joke, though, and that pretty much sealed the deal.

* * *

Being apart of the battle felt marvelous. To once again take up his sword against the Darkness was a brilliant rush, and it made him feel so alive. His body fell easily back into the fight, as if it had only been a few days, and not the twenty-ish years since he'd last fought. As far as he remembered, Koragg fought with a style all his own; he hadn't exercised his own skills since the Great Battle.

Pulling his sword out of a Hidiac's chest, Leanbow smiled. Leelee and Phineas were off to his left, fighting zombies off in tandem with expert skill, and they weren't the only ones fighting. As soon as the skies had darkened, Leelee had sent out the summons to every vampire nearby. Now, they had a small battalion of their own–not enough to match the hordes of undead pushing out of the Gates, but more than enough to relieve some of the pressure on them. Though Leelee was their Queen, she had instructed them to follow Leanbow's orders as well as hers; he was the most experienced leader they had, after all. Each vampire was more than able to fight, as well, most being older than Leelee herself and possessing incredible strength and speed on top of years worth of experience.

They were succeeding on every front, but the zombies kept seeping out, and their strength was finite. It was only time before they wore down. Leanbow had no doubts that he could keep going for as long as it took, but the vampires were another case. With growing numbers of undead, they would have to count of the Rangers towering above them to bring this all to an end.

* * *

The Titan Megazord approached Morticon, tightening their grip on the sword in their hands.

"It's just you and us, now," they boomed, drawing the general's attention. He turned around, rage emanating off him in waves as he gargoyles were statues once more.

"What have you done?" he roared.

"We won," Nick stated, enjoying the cyborg's anger. "Care to try your luck?"

"You've no idea what you're dealing with," he seethed, lunging at the Megazord. They sidestepped his first blow, managing to strike his side, but this only served to further infuriate him; his subsequent attacks became more and more furious. They fought with everything they had, but his ferocity began to wear them down. Their renewed strength waned until he delivered a blow to their chest that knocked them into separate Titans. They managed to land without crushing any buildings, though a few cars suffered under their weight. Morticon let out a low, rumbling laugh, enjoying their folly, and turned to rip the antenna off a skyscraper. Obviously, he didn't view them as much of a threat.

"This needs to end," Nick growled; he was becoming more frustrated by the moment. "Clare needs to be rescued so the Gates will close, and we need to end this guy."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Xander asked. "We don't even know where Necrolai took her." He was the first to stand, towering over most of the skyscrapers. Nick and Madison followed, then Chip and Vida.

"Oh, I have a good idea," Nick replied, voice remaining even. "She had a good section of caves to herself in the Underworld that can't be scryed into. I'd say those are a good bet if she doesn't want to be found. I don't she knows that I know, but when you spend enough time down there..." Vida rolled her eyes.

"We get it. Go get her." The Phoenix looked to her questioningly.

"You sure?"

"Just go. The longer we keep talking, the more people could be dying."

"We'll hold down the fort without you," Chip said. Nick nodded and turned to leave, but Maddie's words caught him.

"Be careful." He smiled.

"Always." Focusing, he changed back to a simple Ranger. Above him, he could see his friends go back to work on the general, while the sounds of battle echoed from the streets nearby. Hesitating for only a moment, he finally ran toward the ground battle, drawing his sword as he did so.

His father, Leelee and Phineas came into sight, along with a few dozen people he didn't recognize. Each stranger fought two or three zombies easily, while the three he knew took on more. Leelee and Phineas worked together fluidly, punches and kicks complementing one another like they had trained together for years. Leanbow was the most impressive though; Nick had never seen him fight as anyone but Koragg, and their styles were different. While Koragg was more brutal, Leanbow allowed his enemy liberties. He chose the more strategic move over a powerful blow. At the same time, they were the same–neither took a chance at a cheap shot. Honor stood above all.

Rushing to his father's side, Nick took out one of the undead threatening him. Under his shining helmet, Leanbow smiled.

"Thank you, son," he said, beheading a zombie. "But why are you down here? You should be leading your team."

"They told me to come here," the Red Ranger replied. Seriously, he added, "This won't end unless we get Clare, Dad. We have to go get them." Between zombies, Nick gave his father a meaningful look. "We need to go get our family." Leanbow nodded, pushing a zombie off his sword before looking to Leelee.

"Will you two be fine without me? I have a family to rescue."

"We've got it!" Leelee shouted over the clamor of combat. "More of my vampires are on their way." With a nod, they were off, heading toward the Gates. Zombies were felled left and right as they ran, but they wasted no extra time. Within minutes, they stood at the base of the massive doors. Waves of Hidiacs still marched out, but fewer came by the moment. This was only the first wave, though; another would come soon after. For now, they only had to take out a few apiece from each intermittent batch. In between, Leanbow looked up at the towering Gates.

"I feel as if I've been here before," he said, eyes looking beyond the Gates themselves.

"Hopefully, you'll never be here again," Nick replied. "Come on. We have some rescuing to do." He forged in through the Gates, Leanbow right behind him. The familiar sensation of walking between dimensions washed over him, but it was slightly different. Never had he just walked into the Underworld; he'd always teleported. He wasn't quite sure whether the feeling he got was good or bad, but it was only fleeting.

Nick glanced around the grey cavern they'd entered, and instantly, he knew where they were. Leanbow had only vague memories of this same spot from a couple decades ago, and therefore followed his son's lead as they plunged into the heart of the Darkness.

* * *

"So very close, my child," Necrolai cooed, smirking as Clare screamed again. "The two seals you've unlocked are enough to let the undead the armies through, but that isn't quite enough. We want every damned soul out and able to ravage your world."

"The Rangers will stop you," the blonde rasped, eyes clamped shut as if seeing Necrolai would only make it all worse. "And I'll fight the entire way."

"Which isn't saying much, is it?" Necrolai sneered. "Your strength will break easily enough." With a snap, the seal flared up again and Clare let loose another shriek. Trapped and unable to help, Udonna watched in fury and horror. Her gaze turned to the smirking sorceress.

"You will kill her if you continue this way, Necrolai," she hissed, eyes blazing with hatred. Being married to Leanbow had imparted upon her an extreme passion for, among other things, her family. "And then, both your master and I will be very displeased. It will only be a matter of speed then."

"Strong words," Necrolai scoffed, "but I know the limit. She will live until I can secure the Gates and leave them open. Then, maybe, I will allow her to fight for her life."

"You're the one who's gonna be fighting for yours," shouted a new voice from behind Necrolai. Weakly, Clare smiled.

"Now you're in trouble," she whispered as Necrolai turned to see Leanbow and the Red Ranger in the entryway.

"Long time, no see, Leanbow," she said, spitting out his name like venom. "I see you've defected yet again."

"I see that you still don't learn," he shot back. "Leave my family alone." As she scowled, Nick glanced to Udonna. He smiled in relief as he saw that she was safe; two words came to mind.

"_Crepo bulla!_" he said, sword aimed at her. Leanbow watched as the spell enveloped the magical bubble, having successfully distracted the raven-haired witch for his son. In a flash of gold light, Udonna, fully-sized, appeared. Her husband was at her side instantly, grinning.

"Hello, my love," he said planting a quick kiss of her lips. She smiled brilliantly at him as he pulled away.

"Hello. I've missed you," she replied. Necrolai only watched, a look of disgust on her face; Nick and Clare gave slight smiles.

"And I, you." Leanbow stepped back, holding his hand out toward her. In a burst of red light, a sword appeared in his hand, much like the one he used, but with a white snowflake adorning the hilt. "I brought you a gift." As she saw it, she smiled even wider, recognizing the old weapon.

"I haven't seen this in years, since before the Great War." She gladly took it from him, admiring her former tool. Weighing it in her hands experimentally, she finally held it upright. "Yes, this will work perfectly." She leapt at Necrolai, swinging the blade with great force. The former queen only barely avoided the blow; the sword nicked a chunk of her armor instead. As if a switch had been thrown, the battle was on, three skilled swordsmen on one well-trained witch. Necrolai's arm blades materialized, evening the fight but she was still outmatched. Leanbow and Udonna had the benefit of years of training with their weapons, not to mention exceptional skill with magic, and Nick was a Ranger, gaining the enhanced strength and agility. Blow by blow, her aggressors pushed her back. She would land a swift kick or fierce jab here and there, but the other two would move in as soon as she did, keeping up the furious fight.

As she went to block simultaneous strikes from Leanbow and Udonna, Nick brought his sword down on the middle of an arm blade, shattering it. The dark witch, under three powerful attacks, fell back; she hit the stone wall, wincing and breathing heavily as she crumpled to the floor.

"Surrender, Necrolai," Leanbow commanded as the family surrounded her. "Release Clare and we will release you."

"You would not kill me?" she rasped, looking up at them through dark hair. Leanbow only shook his head, as if disappointed.

"You were outmatched. It is not my way to kill a worthy opponent who is at a disadvantage. That," he said with a glint in his eyes, "is your way."

"If you know my way, then you know I will never release the Gatekeeper."

"So be it," Udonna replied, raising her sword; for a moment, Nick thought she was going to kill Necrolai, as did Necrolai herself. Then, the ginger witch brought her hilt down on her enemy's head, rendering her unconscious. As Necrolai slumped over, Udonna smiled, and Nick turned to Clare. The blonde kneeled in the center of the spell seal, which was no longer lit up. Her breathing was ragged, but she was alive. Nick moved to her side.

"You okay?" he asked, a hand on her back. She nodded weakly.

"Been better," she replied lightly. "Just let me rest a bit and then I'll be ready to go."

"We need to get you out of this circle first. Can you walk?"

"I think so." He held onto her as they slowly left the engraved seal. By then, Udonna and Leanbow had joined them. Leanbow held out a small vial full of sunny yellow liquid, which Clare gratefully accepted.

"Rejuvenation potion, right?" she asked as she uncorked it. The elder wizard nodded.

"It'll get you through this, but you'll probably lose the effects after an hour or two. Maybe three. I don't know the potency of Chip's potions." Clare grinned.

"If it'll help me through the next part, then I'm all for it," she said, and downed the potion. It took a moment, but it soon took effect. The blonde stood up, no longer shaky, and smiled to her family.

"Are you good to go?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, I think so," she replied. "Let's finish this."

* * *

They were fighting with every bit of strength they had, but it wasn't enough. Without the requisite number of Zords, they formed the next best thing: the Dragon. The gargoyles were out of commission, giving them only one enemy, but he was worse than either combined. Each time they charged, he beat them back, and each time they attacked him yet again. Each Ranger was weary from the day that never seemed to end, but they knew what they had to do; they knew the consequences if they quit, and pushed on thusly. None of them were sure how much longer they could keep fighting, but they were sure that they wouldn't stop.

Morticon seemed to be wearing down as well. Zombie mechanics were far from any of their fortes, but they knew he had to tire out eventually. Already, his attacks were coming slower, with less force. If they could keep it up, and he kept wearing down, then they could have a chance, and that was all they needed.

* * *

Just down the street from where Leelee and Phineas, plus several dozen vampires, were fighting, Leanbow, Udonna, Clare and Nick appeared out of a spell seal. Leelee and Phineas caught sight of them, running over. The Queen was grinning broadly, and Phineas matched her smile.

"I'm so glad you're safe!" she shouted happily. "I wasn't sure for a while there."

"But then the Gates closed up, and we knew you had to be okay," Phineas added. "Didja break the spell?" Udonna nodded.

"I knocked Necrolai out," she replied, a hint of pride in her words.

"Yeah, Mom did a real number on her," Nick interjected. "She was clean out when we left."

"So how are things going here?" Leanbow asked, glancing around.

"We're just cleaning up the last few Hidiacs," Leelee said. "With the Gates closed, no more have come through. That's all that're left." She pointed over her shoulder to the small mass of zombies being fought off by her vampire children. A loud crash from above drew their attention upward after a moment. Morticon had sliced at the Dragon, creating a horrendous screeching.

"I've gotta help them," Nick said, raising his wand. Leanbow grabbed his son's forearm, halting his spell.

"It's going to take more than the Megazord," he said. "Your mother told me you once rode the legendary Catastros." Nick lowered his wand, regarding his father sheepishly.

"It was just once, and it wasn't really my choice." Leanbow moved his hand to Nick's shoulder, eyebrows raised.

"Modesty has no place right now," he said. "You must ride Catastros to save the city."

"I don't even know where he is, Dad."

"We can help you with that," Udonna interjected. Clare, Leelee and Phineas nodded enthusiastically. "Between the six of us, summoning him should be easy." Leanbow looked back to her son, eyebrows raised.

"So will you, son? Will you try this to save the city?"

"Yeah," he replied without a moment's hesitation. When faced with the fate of his world, he couldn't say no. He turned to his friends and family. "Let's do this." They crowded closer together, hands at the center. Each concentrated on Catastros, and followed Nick's lead in murmuring, "_Accus Catastros._"

They repeated this spell, a golden light building between their hands. It grew as they repeated it over and over, eventually spreading away from them and into the sky. At the same time, Nick stepped back, becoming the Mystic Phoenix as the light formed a spell seal. Nick prepared himself, mentally and physically; Catastros burst out only seconds later. The Phoenix grabbed ahold and swung himself onto the horse's back. His sword materialized in his hand, flames erupting all around it. He smiled to himself and spurred his steed on.

* * *

The quintet watched as Nick charged into battle, Leanbow and Udonna's smiles outshining the others'. They all watched for a moment before turning back to the fight at hand. Udonna looked to Clare first.

"Nick is not the only one who can help," she said. Clare furrowed her brow.

"How?"

"Just as the Rangers do, like any other spell. You simply concentrate and say the words that come to you." Clare nodded, nervous, and closed her eyes. Thousands of thoughts whirled around her mind, but she latched onto one as firmly as she could. She focused solely on growing bigger to help the Rangers, and the words drifted to her after a second.

"Galwit lura majun," she whispered, feeling the others step away from her. A strange weightless feeling overtook her, spreading across her body, which she could feel changing. It was new and weird, but it still felt right.

When she opened her eyes, the city was tiny beneath her, but the Rangers and Morticon were her height. She glanced down to her family, so tiny now, then back to the fight. Clare readjusted to her grip on her staff, took a deep breath, and stepped in.

* * *

Nick appearing on Catastros was, aside from surprising, just what they needed. He was tired like they were, but at least it divided the effort between five people. Catastros helped too, for all he could do. Morticon was visibly flustered by the new arrivals; while he may have been expecting Nick, the war horse was a whole other story. Last he had seen, the animal was on his side, under the strained control of Koragg.

The Rangers saw this weak point and swooped in, attacking from above with razor claws. At the same time, Nick slashed at the undead general, actually drawing a thin line of viscous black liquid. Seeing this, the Rangers smiled; his body was getting weaker. Now they just needed to get in a strong enough attack to kill him. Nick grabbed the words that whispered through his mind and repeated them.

"_Sumbol unithos equestras._" The red light of the spell burst out, and in its wake stood a black Megazord with red accents and a long silver sword, the Centaurus Phoenix Megazord. Now the fear showed, coming off Morticon in distinct waves, in the way he hesitated before swinging his sword, in the diminishing ferocity of his war cries, down to the way he held his sword tighter than ever. Nick smirked and easily parried the blow, the strength of Catastros mingling with his own and bolstering it. As the general moved to strike him on the opposite side, the Dragon swooped again, drawing his attack to them instead and giving Nick time to slice at him. The Phoenix left a long gash, trailing from Morticon's left shoulder to the middle of his waist, and black liquid bubbled out.

This seemed to halt the zombie, who glanced to the wound as if it were an impossible thing. Clare, suddenly large like they were, rushed in at this moment, a ball of purple energy flying from her staff. It struck Morticon in the back, sending him staggering forward. The Centaurus Megazord caught him with a glancing blow to the face, and he fell to the ground, neck snapped up. The Dragon landed gingerly on a building, while Clare stood behind the undead general, encircling him.

He struggled up, body shaking as the magic binding him together weakened, and glanced around at them. For a moment, they all stood like this, watching one another and searching for signals. Then, Morticon lunged. He swung at the Centaurus Megazord, catching them in the chest; his follow through knocked the Dragon in the jaw. Clare halted the blade with her staff, tiny bells tinkling in the midst of battle, and the two struggled with one another, not willing to back down. While Clare was not generally strong, in this form her strength was magnified a hundredfold. Vaguely, she knew it was not just her strength, but the strength of Luria as well. She'd studied this years ago; something about the Ancients lending their forms and might on occasion.

A new wave of power overtook her; she pushed Morticon back forcefully, right into the arms of the newly formed Titan Megazord. The seal Catastros must have disappeared into faded behind them. Morticon fought against their grip, but they held firm. Seizing her moment, Clare pointed her staff at the general and shouted, "_Rin ozu!_" Purple energy bolts flew into his chest, drawing more lines of black goo. While he winced, she ensnared him with a rope of light and the Megazord let go, taking to the skies.

* * *

With Clare's hold on the weakening Morticon, the Rangers took flight. Wind whipped around them, but a calm had descended over the Rangers.

"This is it, guys," Nick said. "We have to end it now." Each nodded, gripping their wands securely, and felt a familiar power fill them. As they reached their peak, they knew that this move could decide their fate.

* * *

From the ground, Leanbow, Udonna, Leelee and Phineas watched the larger battle, having easily dispatched the last of the foot soldiers.

"Ooh, I think they're going in for the final attack!" Phineas said, leaning in toward Leelee. Usually, she would have replied with a dry remark about the obviousness of his statement, but this time she just smiled faintly. Things were too tense right now to joke around.

"Can't we help them?" she instead asked, glancing to her elders. They looked to each other before looking to her.

"We may be able to," Udonna said. "Though it is considered dangerous." Leelee shook her head.

"That doesn't matter. I want to help." The redhead smiled.

"Then hold out your hand." Leelee did as she was told, followed by Phineas and Leanbow. Udonna was last. "Concentrate and repeat after me. _Luren norquas rive._"

"_Luren norquas rive_," they mimicked. With each incantation, the power between them grew. Distinctly tinted light built around their hands: Leanbow's was a dark red; Udonna's, a pure white; Leelee's, a light purple, and Phineas', a strange mixture of brown and white. These four energies grew steadily brighter until the spell had reached its maximum potential and burst out into the sky. The beams crossed, becoming one and disappearing into the Megazord's sword.

Winded from the physical toll, the quartet stood with only the sound of their recovering breaths and watched, hoping they had helped.

* * *

Swooping down, the Rangers raised their sword and focused on the energy swelling within them.

"Spirits of the Ancient Titans!" they shouted, sword glimmering with golden light. A secondary energy shimmered around it, only for a moment, and a strange new presence surrounded them. Glancing around, they saw a host of beings. To one side, they saw Levitas, Undelle and Viscan, each in their true Titan form, and two figures they didn't expect: the White Mystic Ranger and Koragg, albeit in shining red armor. On their other side were Aerika, Ignos, Leelee and Phineas, the last of whom gave them a toothy grin. The Rangers suspected each was giving them a reassuring smile.

With bolstered strength, they looked back to Morticon, and delivered their mighty blow, backed by fifteen individual strengths. They landed smoothly, turning in time to see Morticon drop to his knees, sword forgotten and clattering to the ground.

"The Darkness will prevail!" he declared, even as small explosions burst across him. "My master will rise and conquer! This is not over!" And then, in on final, massive but contained explosion, he was gone, torn apart into infinitesimal pieces that disappeared.

The Rangers quietly became five individuals again, joining their group of family and friends. Leanbow and Udonna shared a joyful kiss before turning to the triumphant teens; Leelee released her bear hug around Phineas to throw her arms around the first Ranger she saw, Xander.

"You did it!" she exclaimed. He too smiled as she let go of him.

"You guys helped," he replied, glancing to Phineas, Leanbow, Udonna and Clare.

"I'm just glad it's over," the latter blonde said. "This has been more than enough action for one day."

"You're telling me," Vida said. "I'm gonna be sore in the morning."

"You think Toby will notice if we don't come in tonight?" Madison asked.

"I think he'll understand," Nick answered. He looked around, a grin crossing his face, and scooped her into his arms, dipping her into a long kiss. The others just smiled, Xander going as far as to give them a wolf whistle. When they were back up, the Red Ranger looked around at his grinning team and saw the tiredness behind their eyes. "Let's get outta here, guys." General assent drifted around them; Nick and his father took them away, so they could finally rest.

* * *

At Rootcore, everyone had promptly removed their armor, if any, and found somewhere to rest. Leanbow, of them all, was the least drained, so he fixed tea for all who wanted some. Clare, after finishing hers, tended to the Fire Heart egg before retiring to bed. Chip and Vida left soon after that, the latter giving her redheaded friend a ride home. Leanbow escorted Udonna to their room, as she was growing tired. With a prolonged hug from Leelee, Phineas left; he had to help a slug with his kids, apparently. A while later, Xander left and Leelee went to her room, leaving only Madison and Nick in the main hall.

"Dangerous stuff, leaving us together," Maddie joked, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind as he sat. He tilted his head up to see her, a smirk on his lips.

"What are you saying?" he asked. "Because it sounds like you're implying something inappropriate."

"Never," she replied with a shake of her head. "Besides, we're two fine, upstanding citizens."

"Always." He moved up to kiss her, lips meeting in sudden desire. The kiss was brief but burning with passion, both feeling like the past few hours had been days instead. Maddie pulled away first, leaving Nick wanting more and looking to her for a reason to not continue. She simply took his hand and led him outside.

"Let's go," she said, teleporting them through a tree to arrive in front of the Rock Porium, where his motorcycle waited patiently. The couple climbed onto the vehicle; Nick glanced to Maddie as he turned it on.

"Home?" She nodded.

"After today, home." His gaze turned back to the road, revving the engine before tearing off down the pavement.

It was a familiar drive for both of them; Madison had grown up seeing it in and out of town, and Nick had driven it enough now to almost drive it blindfolded. The trip wasn't long, not more than a few minutes, and they were parked in front of Madison's house before too long. Both teens removed their helmets, relishing the feeling. Madison dismounted and smiled at her boyfriend.

"Later," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

"See ya," he replied, kissing her back. She turned and headed into her house; he watched for a moment, then sped away.

In the doorway, she turned to see him speed around the corner, a smile blossoming on her lips. A pounding drew her attention back inside, where Vida and Chip had just descended the stairs.

"Is he gone?" the short-haired twin asked.

"Just left," Madison answered, closing the door behind her.

"Good. Then we ought to get going," Vida said, moving past Chip and poking her head around a wall. "Come on, Xander! We're leaving." As Vida rejoined Chip and Maddie, the Aussie ambled around the corner, taking a drink from a water bottle.

"Never been so thirsty in my life," he said, screwing the lid back on.

"Join the club," Maddie replied. "Are you ready?" He nodded. "Good. Let's get going before he gets home."

* * *

Nick parked in his usual spot at the apartment complex and rode the elevator up. Teleporting seemed too out of the way, especially when he was going to the third floor. After the day they'd had, not using magic would be a nice change. Besides, he was exhausted. He was lucky if he'd make it through dinner at this point. The thought of eating was enough to keep him awake; if at all possible, he was hungrier than he was sleepy.

The door opened easily, but something seemed wrong–all the lights were off. He didn't think Gracey had any late classes or plans tonight, and she definitely wasn't asleep already. Huh. Maybe she had forg-

"Surprise!" The words burst around him at the same time the lights did, revealing a half-dozen people. He must have looked shocked, because everyone started laughing. Madison was the first to reach him, blowing a noisemaker in his face before embracing him.

"Happy birthday," she said cheerily, leaning back to smile at him. "You didn't think we forgot, did you?"

"Maddie, I forgot," he said. She stepped back, grinning wider. "I mean, after today..."

"Quite a day, huh?" asked another voice, easily recognizable to him. He looked to his sister with a smile. "Happy birthday, baby brother." She, too, hugged him, briefer than Madison.

"Thanks," he said, raising an eyebrow at her. "You arranged all this, didn't you?"

"Oh, Maddie helped," she replied, grinning. "But it was my idea."

"Course it was."

"Come in," she said, pulling on her brother. "All your friends are here. You can't leave them waiting around." She closed the door as his friends started talking to him, Chip especially. That kid had quite the ability to speak, just as Xander did. Vida smacked him on the shoulder before giving him a one-armed hug

Gracey grinned as she watched the quintet of teens. Nick had strange friends, that was for certain. Chip even managed to pull an energy drink from nowhere, but he was odd to begin with. Really, she was glad her brother fit in here. In all the other places they'd lived, he'd been an outsider. Now, here he was with three solid friends and a girlfriend, joking and laughing. He was happy, and she wouldn't disturb that, even if she couldn't figure out why he was ditching school during emergencies. They could talk about the calls from the school some other time. Now, he deserved to celebrate his eighteenth with his friends.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Yeah, I realize it's been a long time, but I promise that I am working on this. It's just taking some time. It will be finished, though, by hook or by crook. This is the first half of the Scaredy Cat story, though I make no promises about the next chapter's arrival. It'll eventually be here, I promise.

* * *

"Here it is," Necrolai muttered, stopping and looking to a Hidiac behind her. She raised an eyebrow at it. "Well? Go on." She gave the zombie a shove toward its destination, an innocuous looking cave on a beach. It trudged forward, wary of the craggy opening. "Get in there!" The zombie went forward, but as it hit the entrance, it flared up and exploded, surrounded by a spell seal. Necrolai just frowned. "Of course." She turned to another Hidiac, hair whipping around her face in the wind. "Well? Break that seal before the Rangers get here."

"Too late," replied a voice from above them. On top of the hill that the cave lay within landed Leelee, dressed in full vampire queen armor. "In a sense." Necrolai scowled.

"Hello, daughter," she snarled, shifting to a stronger stance in case she was attacked.

"Why're you here, Mom?" the blonde snapped back, no love in her voice. For all she cared about her mother, the woman had no love for her and no qualms in attacking her own daughter if she had to. Necrolai cocked her head at the question.

"Just thought I'd go on a small vacation to the beach. The troll greatly oversold the luxury of the accommodations, though."

"No straight answer then? Shame. Thought we'd have an intelligent conversation for once."

"I don't converse with traitors." Behind her mask, Leelee's eyes narrowed.

"Get out of here," the younger woman commanded. Necrolai raised a hand to her chin, holding it in a mockery of thought.

"No," she replied sharply, hand dropping to her side. Leelee raised her arm, throwing a blast of purple energy at a Hidiac, which disintegrated into black smoke.

"I'll destroy them all without a thought, and you if I have to," Leelee added, an afterthought and a forewarning. The former Queen only watched her daughter with a steadfast glare; again, Leelee vaporized a Hidiac, matching her mother's glare. "You know the extent of the power better than I do. You know that I can go on endlessly." Standing in silence for a moment, Necrolai scowled.

"This is not the end," she growled, and teleported away. Leelee moved down to the beach, choosing to hover down instead of navigating the precipitous rock face, and inspected the cave. It looked harmless, but Udonna would want to know. If Necrolai was this interested in it, it had to be worth quite a bit.

* * *

In a rare moment, Root Core was quiet. Udonna was cooking lunch, Madison was reading a book on ancient sigils, Xander was messing with a fern and Nick was polishing his sword. Only the occasional sound penetrated the room–the flipping of a page or clinking of a tool–but it was otherwise bathed in silence. Weekend study sessions were usually more raucous, but with Chip and Vida working, and the others tired from reconstruction in the city, Leanbow had agreed with Udonna's decision to let them pursue calmer tasks this once.

As if the Universe was in disagreement with this choice, Clare burst down the stairs, curls bouncing frantically around her. The four occupants of the room glanced up.

"What is wrong?" Udonna asked, brushing her hands on her apron. The blonde's eyes darted around in a panicked manner before she seemed to realize where she was and why she was there. A huge grin engulfed her face.

"The Fire Heart is hatching!" she squealed. The news took a moment to settle, and then the room erupted into its regular chaos. All four occupants, plus Clare, bolted up the stairs, following the blonde onto one of the open porches. The egg sat in the center, blankets wrapped around it. It rocked back and forth a few times, sending Clare into a fit fixing the blankets.

"How do you know what to do?" Madison asked, watching the girl fuss.

"I read a book I found," she replied, not looking up from the gold-flecked egg. "It was all about dragons."

"So is it gonna hatch right now?" Xander asked.

"I don't know," Clare shrugged, worry and curiosity tinging her voice. "The book said it could be a few hours or a few weeks."

"So it could hatch at any time?" Nick inquired. His cousin nodded, finally glancing up at them.

"Any time," she repeated, brushing a strand of hair off her face. "I'll just have to keep watch until it does." Taking in how frazzled she appeared, Udonna shook her head.

"We will help you," the elder sorceress said. When Clare opened her mouth to protest, she added, "Everyone needs rest at some point, dear. Let us help." Looking between the faces of the others, she finally ceded.

"Okay, but -" Loud knocking halted her words. It lulled for a second, as if waiting for a response, then resumed, more insistent than ever.

"I think someone's at the door," Xander said, slightly blase. He was back inside and down the stairs in only a moment.

"We have an actual door?" Nick asked, sharing an interested glance with Maddie before following his friend down the stairs; Madison was right behind him.

"Do wooden dragon heads count?" she shot back, drawing a smile from him. As they reached the main room, they saw Xander enter from outside escorting Phineas along with him.

"Oh, Phineas, you know you don't have to knock after all these years," Udonna said, last to descend the stairs. The troblin looked up at her, a hand on his cheek.

"Thought I'd be polite," he shrugged. "Seeing as I got a favor to ask." The White Sorceress just smiled.

"What would that be?"

"Well, see, I've got a sore tooth and I already went to the boulder roller–he's a troll that pulls teeth with boulders," he added, seeing the Rangers' befuddled faces, "but he said he couldn't do anything because today's his day off, so I just thought that you guys might know what I could do cos it really, really hurts." He raised his eyebrows at them, smiling in a pained way. Nick glanced to Maddie and Xander, eyebrows raised.

"Do you guys have any ideas?" he asked. "I'm not exactly up on the latest dental technology around here."

"Actually, I think I know a guy," Xander said. "A bit weird, but what isn't these days?"

"And he works in Briarwood?" Maddie asked, receiving a nod from the Green Wizard. "You think he'll see a troblin and not notice?" Xander shrugged.

"Told you, he's a bit weird. My mum goes to him. He started painting a lion on her face one time. Wasn't half bad either." Phineas looked between them as they talked, head swinging back and forth.

"I like the sound of him. When can I go?" he said, smiling broadly before flinching and putting a hand to his cheek. "Bad idea." The Rangers looked between one another.

"Well, I can -" Maddie began, but was cut off by the sudden appearance of Leelee through a seal.

"We have a problem, guys," she stated. When her eyes fell on Phineas, a smile bloomed on her lips. "Hi."

"Hi," the troblin repeated, smiling and wincing at the same time. Udonna looked between the two, shook her head and put a hand on Leelee's shoulder.

"What is it? What is going on?" The blonde's attention snapped back to Udonna, any hint of a smile gone.

"Necrolai. She was trying to break through a spell guarding a cave. I don't know what's in there, but it had a strong protection spell around it. I think it was a Seal of Solus." Udonna raised her eyebrows.

"Are you sure?" Leelee nodded; Udonna paced away from the group, brow furrowed. "Then this may be more serious than you realized." She turned on her heels to face Nick. "Call

Chip and Vida. We must look into this immediately. Leelee, where is this cave?"

"It's on the beaches of the West, close to the village of Lisiven." Suddenly, Udonna's lips curved ever so slightly into a smile.

"Ah, Lisiven," she murmured, mind drifting to another time. For a moment, she was lost in memories of the past, but she quickly returned to the present. "Rangers, go to this cave and see what Necrolai wanted." The trio nodded, following Nick out of Root Core. When they were gone, Phineas looked to Udonna.

"What about me?" he asked, rubbing his increasingly sore jaw. The redhead smiled, a mischievous gleam in her eyes, and stepped between the troblin and Leelee.

"If it is okay with her, I think Miss Pimvare can escort you. She knows the city well." She glanced to the young queen. "Is it okay with you?"

"I'd love to," Leelee replied with a blush. She momentarily met Phineas' eyes, then looked away, blush deepening.

"Good. Then you should be on your way." She gave the two a small push and watched as they nervously exited the base, Phineas allowing Leelee through the door first. Udonna smiled knowingly to herself; it was good to see young people in love.

* * *

"This is it?" Vida inquired, skepticism evident in her voice. The cave they stood before was nothing special, not as far as they could tell.

"This is where Leelee said to go," Nick shrugged. He glanced between the other Rangers, adding, "We still have to check it out." He only took a step before a group of Hidiacs appeared between them and the cave.

"More believable now?" Xander asked Vida, gripping his axe as it materialized. She held her wand just the same, glancing at him.

"Much better," she replied, ducking the swing of the first zombie that charged them. From behind the soldier, she shot a burst of pink energy, disintegrating it into a cloud of black vapor.

The other Rangers quickly sprang into similar fights, engaging the rushing undead. Chip jumped over a footsoldier's low swing, shooting it point blank in the chest as he touched back down. Madison stabbed one through the chest, chucking it over her head onto another before both disappeared into dust. Embedding his axe in a Hidiac's chest, Xander jumped to kick another in the face while still holding the axe handle.

Nick blocked the kick from one zombie as he slashed at another; he kicked the first one in the chest and sent it careening onto Maddie's trident. He gave her a wink before elbowing a Hidiac in the face. She smiled and kicked the soldier off her weapon. Sometimes, she thought that maybe they enjoyed this a little too much.

* * *

"We're lost, aren't we?" Phineas groaned, a hand moving to his cheek, which ached when he spoke. Leelee just looked between the street signs and tall buildings, befuddlement donning her fair features. She loved the city, but she'd only been allowed up top for a few months now, and she still wasn't all that familiar with everything.

"Yeah," she ceded. "I think we are." She turned back to him, a dejected pout on her lips. "I guess I'm not much help, am I?"

"It's a big city. I think it's great you even made it this far," he replied, sincere. Leelee blushed, glancing to the sidewalk as a smile bloomed on her lips.

"Thanks." She met his eyes briefly, or so she assumed–he was wearing big sunglasses to help hide his inhuman features, along with a long scarf and a sherpa hat pulled down over his ears. As far as she could tell, their eyes met, because a moment later he grinned, showing a wide array of distinctly inhuman teeth.

"So, uh," Phineas began, moving past his guide to one of the parallel parked cars, "what do you call these things? They look delicious." Before she could stop him, he bent down and licked a tire experimentally a few times.

"You probably shouldn't do that," Leelee said, but it was lackluster. The troblin just glanced up at her from his crouched position.

"S'okay. It just tastes like dirt. If I wanted dirt, I'd eat some." She giggled.

"Phineas, you're weird." He stood up, a blush on his jutting cheekbones.

"Aw shucks," he managed before wincing. Awkwardness forgotten, Leelee rushed to him.

"We need to get you to this dentist," she said. Her eyes moved around, looking for any sigh of their destination. Moments later, with a small smile, she added, "I can't get us there, but someone else can." He tried asking whom she meant, but she had already taken his hand, leading him to the one place she knew well in Briarwood.

Four blocks and one brush with death at an intersection later, they were in front of the Rock Porium. Phineas took a moment to take in the store until Leelee dragged him down the stairs. Inside, recorded music pumped through the sound system; a dozen or so people milled about, most with a record or CD in hand. The Vampire Queen scanned the store before her eyes fell on Toby, rearranging a glam rock display. Pulling Phineas along, she approached the store's owner.

"Hey, Toby?" she ventured, stopping behind hi. The curly-haired man turned around, a smile curving his lips as he saw her.

"Leelee, it's been a while," he said. His eyes darted around the store before he leaned toward her conspiratorially. "Busy fighting evil?" She nodded.

"Darkness never rests," she replied. "I don't even get into the city much anymore."

"That sucks." He tilted his head. "So how'd you get the time now?" A smile blossomed on her lips as she pulled Phineas forward.

"That's why I'm here now, actually." Phineas, who had been behind her until now, gave the man a genial smile. "We need some help finding a dentist." Upon seeing the troblin, Toby's eyes widened; Phineas noticed this and shifted under the sudden stare.

"I'm, uh, Xander's uncle from the old country. I was in a-a ski accident," he recited, stumbling over the practiced cover story. Toby just took it all in with a raised eyebrow.

"You're Phineas, aren't you?" he figured, eyes drifting up and down the other-worlder. "The Rangers talked about you. So you're a troblin then." Phineas, not put off by Toby's apparent deductive skills, smiled toothily.

"Yup. Half troll, half goblin, all hunk." Leelee giggled, cheeks flushing slightly.

"All cheeseball, too," she added, glancing away as he met her eyes. Suddenly, the floor seemed to fascinate her.

Toby, not as out of it as most people thought, cleared his throat and smiled.

"So you need my help finding a dentist?" Leelee's eyes snapped up, a smile crossing her face.

"Right! Phineas has a toothache, and Xander recommended a place in town that could help him, but I got totally lost. I figured you knew the city pretty well, so we came here, and..." She smiled, pitiful yet hopeful; Phineas tried the same but only ended up cringing.

Toby regarded the pair for a second before asking, "What's this dentist's name?" The blonde glanced to her companion, who just shrugged, then back to Toby.

"We don't know his name," she admitted. "But Xander said he was really weird."

"Painted a lion on Xander's mom's face," the troblin supplanted. At this, Toby's smile grew, crossing his arms.

"I think I know who you're talking about." He maneuvered around the duo, heading for the door. "Just follow me." Leelee and Phineas obliged, the former giving the store a backwards glance.

"But there's no one to keep watch over the store now," she commented. Toby shook his head, falling into step with them.

"Got that covered. I have a few back-up workers now, for emergencies. You know, when the others have... 'duty.'" He emphasized the last word with air quotes. "I already called Jeannette in when Chip and Vida left." He smiled, looking to Phineas. "So, what are the woods like? I've never been, myself."

* * *

The Rangers easily dispensed with the Hidiacs, which served only as a slight annoyance to them at this point. When Chip had shot the last one, they regrouped and headed for the cave.

Nick went first, moving into the cave with speed; the others followed close behind, traversing the rougher ground along the entrance. Xander, the last to enter, paused just inside the cavern to glance behind himself. All he saw was the fading shimmer of a spell seal, which he shrugged off, pressing on.

Inside the cave, Chip raised his wand; the crystal lit up with brilliant light, spreading the deepest crevasses around them. They made their way deeper in, searching for anything out of the ordinary that Necrolai would want. Nothing seemed to stick out, though–as far as they could tell, it was an ordinary cave with ordinary damp walls and an ordinary dirt floor.

Then Madison screamed.

Instantly, the others were at her side, Vida and Nick with weapons drawn. The Blue Ranger didn't even notice them, though. She was too busy frantically swiping at something on her shoulder. Dislodged after a few seconds, the small dark greyish green thing toppled to the floor and hopped away.

"I hate frogs!" Maddie squealed, trying to swipe the invisible amphibian germs off of her. The others lowered their wands and weapons, smiling. Nick gave her a one-armed hug, shoulders pressed together.

"It's okay, Maddie. It's gone now, you're still here." She just shook her head.

"I _hate_ frogs," she stated, a bit calmer, but not by much. Vida was about to say something when Chip's voice cut through the air.

"What's that?" he inquired, pointing his lit wand at the far wall. White light revealed a small pedestal, covered in years of dirt and cobwebs, with a small, similarly dirty object on top of it.

"I'm not sure," Vida said instead, taking a step toward it with interest. Nick was right behind her, scanning it visually.

"Looks like an old lamp or something, like they used a long time ago in the Middle East." Xander gave the Red Ranger a sidelong glance.

"Since when did you become an expert?"

"Since my parents took me on business trips with them when I was a kid. When your parents work getting antiques for an auction house, you learn a lot about weird old stuff."

"So what's it doing here?" Chip asked, moving to it. He lifted it gingerly off the pedestal, inspecting it from all sides. Under the grey blanket of dust, one thing was obvious: "It's got the Mystic Seal on it, guys. This has gotta be what Necrolai was looking for."

"It's all dirty. It's probably been here for years," Xander added, reaching out to it from his point at Chip's side. "Maybe if we cleaned it up a bit, it'll have instructions on the outside or something." The Yellow Ranger smacked away his friend's hand.

"Don't try that. It might be a genie lamp, and we don't want to accidentally free an evil djinn, do we?" He shook his head. "No, we don't. We need to open it somewhere safe, like Root Core."

"Where we keep all of our knowledge and power hidden from evil?" Madison pointed out.

"And where Udonna and Leanbow, two highly trained magicians, live. Between all of us, I think we could handle it."

"Can I at least wash it off?" the Blue Ranger asked. "All those cobwebs are gross." The Yellow Ranger shrugged, acquiescing; Maddie quickly doused the lamp with water, clearing away years of filth.

"Now let's get the hell out of here," Nick suggested. "The sooner we leave, the less chance we have of running into -"

"-me?" cawed a voice from behind them, unmistakably Necrolai. The Rangers snapped to see the villainess striding confidently into the cavern. "Thank you, by the way, for breaking the seal in the doorway. I couldn't get in until now."

"We already have the lamp, so don't bother," Chip stated, clutching the golden treasure tight. The raven-haired witch just put a hand on her hip, an eyebrow raised under her porcelain mask.

"Why would I want such a useless thing?" she scoffed. "I'm here for something much more important." The black clad woman threw her arm out dramatically, pointing to a spot just beyond Madison and Nick. Everyone glanced to the unremarkable stone wall, vision drifting downward until a small, decrepit looking totem of sorts became apparent. It seemed to be a skeleton, though not of any recognizable creature–it had a jagged skull, leering smile full of seemingly mismatched teeth and folded, almost human, ashen limbs.

"What the hell is that?" Vida asked.

"My treasure," Necrolai spat, "and your destruction." A bolt of dark energy blasted the group apart, sending a puff of dust into the musty air. Through the haze, Necrolai sauntered to her prize, claiming it gingerly.

"It has been many years, and your time has come," she murmured, eyes falling almost fondly on its face. Up in a snap, she smirked at the Rangers as she stalked out of the cave. "Thank you for your assistance, Rangers." As she as she'd cleared the entrance, she was gone, disappearing into a dark seal. The Rangers stood up, each feeling the hints of bruises forming across their sore forms.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Chip muttered, brushing dust off his chest. Vida grabbed his arm to pull herself up, eyes moving to the entryway.

"Well, it's definitely not good," she replied.

"We can worry about that later," Nick interjected. "Let's just get the lamp back to Root Core." The others nodded and followed him out to the beach, vanishing in their own golden seal.

* * *

"So Phineas, what's it like in your neck of the woods?" Toby ventured as they walked down the street. For as odd as the troblin looked, they'd received very few irregular glances during their seven block journey. The only time they'd really distracted other pedestrians was when Phineas had loudly asked if cars came in flavors besides dirt, and Toby had to remind him that cars weren't food.

Now, Phineas was fairly well-adjusted, but he still jumped at the occasional horn honking or man selling Communist newsletters. He'd thoroughly freaked out a man predicting doomsday in a sandwich board when he'd started agreeing with the man's views on how close the end was, and why the Ancients were doing everything they could to stop it. Fortunately, they'd escaped any other incidents, or could easily explain his other eccentricities.

"Oh, it's great," Phineas replied enthusiastically. "There's this patch of stickleberries right next to my bed, and the stream is really cold right now, cos I think there was a snowstorm in the Mountains, and the wind only knocked my tent over once this week." He smiled jovially. "Yeah, it's been great."

Toby nodded, genuinely interested. In the short time he'd known Phineas, he'd come to like the strange troblin, even for his idiosyncrasies. Sure, he didn't know what the troblin was talking about half the time, but he was slowly catching onto the workings and layout of the magical world; it was strange how natural it all felt to him.

"Sounds about perfect," Toby commented, pausing in front of a tall building. "Here we go." He pulled the door open and ushered his companions in before entering himself. Together, they inspected the directory, found the floor and piled into a tiny elevator. The other occupant eyed them suspiciously, scooting a bit further away from the trio, but none of them seemed to care.

Leelee's hand brushed Phineas' own, causing the two to exchange shy smiles; Toby took notice and smiled as well. Young love was a curious thing, though he suspected that Phineas was actually the oldest of their small group. Despite that, he was still green, though Toby sincerely hoped he wasn't so green that it fell through. During these dangerous times, it was nice to see good things could still happen.

* * *

"Mom?" Nick called out, glancing around the atrium. The other Rangers followed behind him, Chip carrying the lamp. His words echoed around the base, receiving no response until Leanbow appeared at the top of the staircase.

"She's out with Clare, finding a warm spot to hatch the Fire Heart," he said, descending the stairs to join them. "What do you need?"

"We found this lamp at the cave Leelee warned us about," Chip said, proffering the golden lamp. Leanbow took it in his hands, a smile spreading across his face.

"Necrolai attacked us, but she took a mummy. She didn't even try for the lamp," Vida supplanted. The elder man raised an eyebrow.

"Curious. She must not remember what this is," he said, turning it in his hands as he took in the intricate details.

"Is it a genie lamp?" Chip asked, drawing a smile from Leanbow.

"Yes it is, and a powerful one at that. I'm just surprised she didn't recognize it."

"Have you seen it before?" Maddie inquired. The older wizard gave them a small, reminiscing smile.

"Yes, I have. It is the lamp of Jenji, the companion to my old apprentice Daggeron." He rubbed the side, causing the entire lamp to shake. The lid popped off and a cloud of smoke streamed out, hovering a few feet away from the group. It shifted into a more solid form, one of an ornately dressed and overly large cat.

"I am the great genie Jenji! I will grant you - Leanbow!" he exclaimed, dropping the all-powerful persona as soon as he saw his old friend. The two quickly embraced before Jenji stepped back. "Leanbow, you've gotten older."

"So they tell me. I see you haven't aged at all," he replied with a smile. "Tell me, do you know what happened to Daggeron?" The cat's smile instantly dimmed.

"I don't know. We were running through the forests when someone attacked us. There were a lot of curses, and one hit us, and then I was stuck in my lamp for twenty years." Fear crossed his eyes. "We set Bowen down during the fight. Did they get him?" Leanbow's mouth set into a hard, grim line.

"I'm afraid so. We are under Dark rule now." Horror crossed Jenji's face until he saw the slight quirk in Leanbow's frown.

"Don't mess with an old tabby like that! I almost soiled the sand!" Leanbow was grinning madly now.

"I'm sorry to joke. It was just too great an opportunity after all these years." The cat was grinning similarly now.

"So how is your boy? What happened to him? And what happened to the others? Where are Ambrose and Niella?"

"Fortunately, Phineas rescued Bowen and took him to safety in the other world. The others were not so fortunate."

"They all...?" Jenji began, but didn't have the heart to finish the question when he saw the look on his old friend's face.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Ambrose, Lior, Cordula, Elouan and Fergus died in the battle, and Niella gave her life to ensure the Gates were closed." A moment of silence passed between the two, each ruminating on the past, before the genie spoke up.

"And Bowen remains in the human world?" Jenji queried, moving away from the sadness of lost comrades.

"No, not quite. When the seal on the Gates broke many months ago, the seal between worlds was weakened, and Udonna gathered the newly powered Mystic Force." Jenji's jaw dropped.

"_The_ Mystic Force?"

"Yes, friend, the Mystic Force. She didn't know it at the time, but our son was one of the fated magicians drawn in. He is the Red Mystic Ranger." Jenji looked now to the group of teens just beyond Leanobw. He moved to them, eyes wandering over their interested faces.

"This must be them," he murmured, more to himself than anything. "I never thought I'd actually see the day. And this -" His eyes fell on Nick. "- this must be Bowen."

"Call me Nick," the Red Ranger said. "Nobody calls me by that name." Jenji raised an eyebrow at Leanbow, who nodded approvingly.

"It's a complicated story, but Nick is his true name." The cat gave a low whistle.

"Wo-ow. That's something." He smiled. "You take after your dad, I can see that. Red warrior, Dark looks, leader of your team–history is funny that way." Nick smiled with pursed lips, unsure of what to say to that, but Jenji moved on before he needed to respond. "And the rest of you, I think I can guess." He looked to Maddie first. "Let's see, water, judging by the Undellian uniform. Not Lior, but close. Hmmm... Mia, Megan, Marie, no?" She shook her head. "No, but I've got it–Madison!" Her eyes widened, a smile spreading across her face.

"How'd you know?" she asked.

"I'm just good," he grinned, moving across the group to Chip. "Lucien, Elouan, Caspian. No? Charles!" The Yellow Ranger glared at him. "Or Chip, be a stickler. Next is Cordula, Olivia, Vivian, Vida! And then we have, last but certainly not least, Fergus, Gil, Lee, Al, Alexander."

"Xander," the Australian corrected.

"Close enough," the genie shrugged. "Looks like a crack team, Leanbow." The Fortesian wizard nodded.

"I will tell you of their exploits later, though Udonna may be more qualified to tell their tale." Jenji smiled at the mention of Udonna.

"Where is the wife, anyway?'

"She and Clare are in the woods, finding an appropriate setting for the Fire Heart." The cat quirked an eyebrow. "Our dragon egg. It is ready to hatch soon." Jenji's eyes widened.

"A dragon egg? It's been ages since I saw one of those."

"They are quite a rarity. I'm glad we have it, and not the Darkness. I have seen how they treat the poor creatures."

"I hope we'll do better with ours," Clare chimed in, arms wrapped around the egg that was much too big for her to be carrying. She heaved it onto the central table as Udonna entered, arms loaded with pine branches and other assorted sticks.

"I am certain we will," Udonna added, eyes on her bundle of branches. "We decided to build a nest here instead of in the woods, in case we were attacked for the egg." She allowed the wood to drop onto the table unceremoniously before something in her mind clicked. "Jenji?" She spun around to see if it really was the cat. A smile lit up her face as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Lady Udonna," he replied, stepping back and looking her over. "Beautiful as ever, I see." She smiled, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Time hasn't dulled your talent for flattery, if I may so observe." He grinned back at her, eyes twinkling. "How have you been?" He shrugged.

"Bored. There's only so much to do in a lamp for twenty years. Took a lot of naps. I'm glad these kids came to save me."

"They are truly heroes, if they can save a genie from monumental boredom," Udonna jested, but Nick shook his head.

"I'm not so sure we saved the day, Mom. Necrolai was there and she took this creepy mummy." A frown replaced the elder witch's smile.

"I am not so sure what to make of that. I have heard no legends of mummies hidden in caves, but if Necrolai wants it, then it is more dangerous to us than we may realize. Tell me, did anything about it stick out in particular?"

"It didn't look human," Nick replied, trying to remember exact details. "The teeth were weird, all different."

"It was sort of like a small monkey, but the face was more human," Xander added. "Its arms and legs were long, but it was folded up cross-legged."

"It looked disgusting," Maddie added, pulling a matching face. Udonna took all this information in, thought on it for a moment, then shook her head.

"I'm sorry, that rings no bells," she said. "I'm afraid we are at a disadvantage here."

"It's okay," Chip said. "We got the genie, and he's a friend. That has to count for something, right?"

"I'll agree with Chip," Jenji added. "I'd like to believe I'm an invaluable asset to the team."

"We would be lost without you," Leanbow replied, smiling. "So are you going to give these kids their one wish? They did free you." The genie gave the older wizard a grin, eyes sparkling.

"You're right," he replied, looking back to the teens. "You kids rescued me. You get one wish." He looked benevolently over them, arms crossed.

"Just one?" Vida snapped, a hand jutting from her hip. "I thought genies granted three wishes."

"Tut-tut, little lady." He waved an admonishing finger at her, drawing a displeased eyebrow raise from the Pink Witch. "Don't believe everything you hear. One is all you get."

"So wish for a million wishes," Xander stated, shrugging. Chip just shook his head, years of fantasy reading finally coming to use.

"No, no, no, you can't do that. Using your one wish for more wishes voids all the wishes because you only get one. Genies are tricksters. You have to be careful." His hand drifted to his mouth as he thought, contemplating all the way to reword the wish, before he shook his head yet again. "Nol, shouldn't be done. He'd manage to gyp us with that wish no matter what." Jenji nodded, grinning.

"I like this one. He's on top of it. Yeah, it's a bad wish. Do you want to try again?"

"No, not just yet," was Chip's instant reply. "We'll wait until we figure out a solid wish." The genie nodded appreciatively.

"Fair enough." A beat of silence passed until it was broken by Clare fussing with the arrangement of the sticks she and Udonna brought in. Everyone turned to look at her; she struggled to maintain the balance before a few dozen toppled onto her. Jenji, Leanbow and Nick rushed forward to help reposition the rest before they fell as well, while the others either picked up sticks or unburied the Lurian sorceress. Within moments, the mess was undone, and Clare was smiling abashedly.

"Sorry guys. I'm still new with this dragon egg stuff," she stammered, brushing a blonde lock out of her face.

"It's alright," Jenji replied. "Not a lot of people these days know how to care for a dragon. Lucky for you, I'm something of an expert. Twenty years is good for a lot of reading, at least." He blinked and a book popped into his hands. "Chapter One, Hatching Your Dragon..." He let the words trail off, looking to Clare for any interest.

"Help me," was all she said' this elicited a smile from the cat.

"I'd love to." He took her by the arm and lead her into another room as he began to explain the process to her. The others watched for a moment, until the sticks and egg blinked away.

"He's interesting, that's for sure," Maddie commented.

"I like him," Chip added. Vida snorted.

"Because he complimented you."

"And because he's awesome," the redhead shot back defensively. " Besides, when was the last time a genie complimented you?"

"He's got a point," Xander interjected. The feistier twin looked like she was about to say something, then thought better of it.

"I'm glad we at least got him," Nick said, and the others nodded in agreement. "The Darkness doesn't need that kind of power. The mummy is worrying me, though. What do they want it for? Why's it important to them?"

For once, no one had anything to say.


End file.
